Nearly 10 months after Islamists had unleashed horrific riots in Bengaluru city, the National Investigation Agency has arrested the key conspirator Syed Abbas for his role in the violence.
According to the reports, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has nabbed a 38-year-old accused Syed Abbas for his involvement in the Bengaluru riots. Abbas, a resident of Govindpura in Bengaluru, is the block president of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).
In the statement released on Wednesday (30 June), the NIA stated that investigation into DJ Halli and KG Halli riots case has revealed that accused SDPI leader Syed Abbas, along with other office bearers of SDPI, were actively involved in torching down burning vehicles and attacking police officers on duty at KG Halli Police Station.
The NIA added that these conspirators had also set fire to KG Halli Police Station using petrol bombs and added the accused set the government vehicles parked in the vicinity of the police station on fire.
Following his arrest, the NIA produced Abbas before a special court in Bengaluru, which has sent the accused for a six-day NIA custody. The case was originally registered as FIR on August 12, 2020, relating to rioting by an unruly mob armed with deadly weapons who had unlawfully gathered outside KG Halli Police Station, Bengaluru, in the late evening of August 11, 2020.
Earlier, the National Investigation Agency had arrested 17 party leaders of the Islamist organisations – the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and the Popular Front of India (PFI), for their involvement in the Bengaluru riots case. As many as 138 persons have been charge-sheeted by the agency for their involvement in the riots.
NIA conducts raids at the offices of SDPI and PFI
Last year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted raids at several places in connection with the Bengaluru riots, including four offices of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). SDPI is the political wing of the radical Islamic organisation Political Front of India (PFI).
According to a statement issued by NIA then, the raids were conducted on a total of 43 locations in Bengaluru, Karnataka, concerning the large-scale communal conflagration that had broken out in the metropolitan city of Bengaluru in August this year.
The NIA officials had then seized incriminating material related to the SDPI/PFI along with weapons like swords, knife and iron rods during the raids. The agency had informed that 293 people had been in connection with the riots that swept the city.
Islamist mobs burn down Bengaluru over an alleged Facebook post insulting Prophet Muhammad
Amidst the chants of “Allah-hu-Akbar” and “Nara e taqbeer”, the violent Islamist mobs had burnt down the city of Bengaluru in violent riots on August 11 this year over an alleged Facebook post of the nephew of Congress MLA R Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy about Prophet Muhammad.
The riots unleashed by the violent mob left four people dead and 60 police personnel injured. Two police stations and the house of Srinivas Murthy was torched down. After taking over the investigation of the riots, the NIA had named SDPI leader Muzamil Pasha for “instigating the mob” to unleash violence on the streets of east Bengaluru.
Soon after riots broke out in the city, the situation took an ugly turn when two separate mobs gathered in front of KG Halli and DJ Halli police stations. The mobs locked the gates from outside and pelted stones at the police station. At least 10 vehicles, including Innovas of two DCPs, were damaged in front of the stations.
The mob also set fire to the vehicles in front of the DJ Halli police station. In what seemed to be a pre-planned attack by the mob, the police station premises were badly vandalised and several vehicles were burned to ashes.
Apart from NIA, the Bengaluru Central Crime Branch (CCB), is also investigating the case, that has submitted a preliminary charge sheet naming 60 people, including former Mayor and Congress leader Sampath Raj and corporator Rakib Zakir in the DJ Halli riots case.
