The Karnataka government taking a cue from Uttar Pradesh has decided to recover the “cost of damage” caused to public properties from rioters during the December 19 anti-CAA demonstrations in Mangaluru that led to unleashing of violence by Muslim mobs in the city.
According to the reports, Revenue minister R Ashoka said on Thursday that the government may adopt Uttar Pradesh’s policy of recovering the cost of damage to public property from rioters. Karnataka government has already sent notices to rioters who were caught in pictures and videos hurling stones or damaging properties.
Hours before Ashoka made the announcement, senior minister CT Ravi and party MP Shobha Karandlaje also echoed similar statements seeking punitive measures against the Mangaluru rioters by following the UP example. In Mangaluru, Ravi said rioters must be fined for damaging public property. He suggested booking the rioters under the Goonda Act, a law enacted with the intention of curbing organized crime.
A Muslim mob went on the rampage and had attacked the police officials in Mangaluru on December 19 during the anti-CAA protests. The rioters had attempted to loot arms from Mangaluru North police station, forcing cops to open fire, leaving two protesters dead.
Later, the police had also released video clippings showing protesters bringing stones in an auto-trolley, hurling it at the personnel and trying to destroy the CCTV cameras. Earlier, we had reported regarding similar CCTV footages in which Muslim mob covered with their faces covered, had attempted to destroy CCTV cameras before going on the rampage.
The decision to impose a penalty on rioters comes after Uttar Pradesh government had initiated a crackdown on miscreants who resorted to violence during the protests against the recently enacted Citizenship Amendment Act.
The Uttar Pradesh government has already identified at least 498 properties to seize them, which belonged to rioters who vandalised public properties in the state during the anti-CAA protest. Notices have been already sent to these protesters regarding the same.
According to a circular, the government has identified the ‘anti-socials’ who caused damage to public property while taking part in anti-CAA protests. It will now confiscate their property to recover the damages. Earlier, the UP government had sealed 50 shops belonging to rioters in Muzaffarnagar who caused damage to public property. The sealed shops are all in the trouble-hit Minakshi Chowk and Kachchi Sadak areas of the town.
Reportedly, at least 82 people from Lucknow, 148 from Meerut, 26 from Sambhal, 79 from Rampur, 13 from Ferozabad, 50 from Kanpur, 73 from Muzzafarnagar, 8 from Mao and 19 from Bulandshahar have been identified by the UP government as those who damaged the public property during the CAA protests in the state from December 10-24.
In the aftermath of the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act, riots, violence, arson and vandalism by rioting mobs in the name of ‘protests’ against the enactment of the law have taken place across the country.
