A close aide of absconding Congress leader Sampath Raj, Riyazuddin, has been arrested and sent to judicial custody for allegedly helping the accused in hiding himself and absconding.
#Breaking | Bengaluru Riots: Big Development
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) November 16, 2020
Absconding Congress neta Sampath Raj’s aide arrested. pic.twitter.com/0ybMfZw5Ci
Riyazuddin was himself absconding and was arrested on the 7th of November on charges of helping and harbouring Sampath Raj. He had apparently taken Raj to a farmhouse near Nagarhole and hid him there for a few days.
Riyazuddin, absconding accused in DJ Halli violence case, was arrested on 7th Nov on charges of helping & harbouring main accused & sent to judicial custody. He had taken the accused to a farmhouse near Nagarhole & gave them shelter for a few days: Central Crime Branch #Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/PgCMvjMfO7
— ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2020
The Central Crime Branch chief Sandeep Patil said that they were currently looking for Zakir Hussain, another accused, and Sampath Raj. Riyazuddin is a BBMP contractor.
The Bengaluru Riots
On 11th August 2020, at around 8:30 PM, a riot-like situation took place between the DJ Halli and KJ Halli police station limits in the east Bengaluru. As per the reports, more than 1000 people gathered outside the house of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, demanding immediate action against his relative Naveen, who allegedly posted objectionable content against Prophet Muhammad on Facebook.
The situation came under control on 12th August around 1 AM. Three people were killed, and more than 60 police personnel were injured. More than 300 vehicles were damaged in the riots.
The involvement of Sampath Raj
Raj is believed to be one of the conspirators in instigating the Bengaluru riots in August this year. The charge-sheet filed by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) in connection with the Bengaluru riots case stated that the Congress leader Sampath Raj had joined hands with radical Islamic organisation such as SDPI to target his own party’s Dalit MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy.
In the 850-page charge sheet, the CCB has named 52 people as accused. There are statements of more than 30 eyewitnesses. The investigating agency has named former Mayor Sampath Raj and Zakir Hussain of the Congress Party as accused number 51 and 52, respectively.
