On September 20, National Investigation Agency (NIA), in a joint operation with Karnataka Police, arrested an absconding accused identified as 35-year-old Tabrez S/o Shaikh Mohaboob in the DJ Halli police station attack case. He was one of the accused of the violent riots where a Muslim mob had attacked the DJ Halli police station and burned vehicles on August 11, 2020.
NIA arrests an absconding accused in DJ Halli Police Station Rioting case pic.twitter.com/fbYUTysahI
— NIA India (@NIA_India) September 21, 2021
As per the statement released by NIA, a case was registered in connection to the Bengaluru Riots on August 12, 2020, at Devarajeevanahalli Police Station, Bengaluru city under Sections 143,147, 307, 436, 353, 332, 333, 427, 504, 506, 149 & 34 IPC, Section 4 of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984 & Section 2 of Karnataka Prevention of Destruction & Loss of Property Act, 1981.
NIA took over the case on September 21, 2020, and initiated an investigation in the case. After investigation, on May 2, 2021, a charge sheet was filed before the NIA Special Court, Bengaluru, under various sections of UAPA, IPC and Karnataka Prevention of Destruction and Loss of Property Act (KPDLP Act) against 109 accused persons. Tabrez was one of the accused mentioned in the list.
During the investigation, NIA found that Tabrez is a member of Sagaipuram ward, SDPI, a political outfit of Popular Front of India( PFI). He was involved in formulating the conspiracy to attack DJ Halli police station. NIA stated that he had instigated many others to be a part of the conspiracy using WhatsApp groups. Tabrez had been involved in burning vehicles and damaging public as well as private property during the riots.
Bengaluru riots over a Facebook post insulting Prophet Muhammad
A Facebook post by a relative of a Congress MLA had triggered some Islamists so much that they had gathered a violent mob and went about burning vehicles and attacking police stations, after trying to set fire to the MLA’s house. The reason behind the violent mob on the roads of Bengaluru was an alleged Facebook reply of the nephew of Congress MLA R Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy about Prophet Muhammad.
The riots left four people dead. Around 60 police personnel were injured. Two of the police stations and house of MLA Srinivasa Murthy were burnt down. NIA, during the investigation, found that SDPI leader Muzamil Pasha was responsible for “instigating the mob” to unleash violence on the streets of east Bengaluru.
Soon after the riots broke in Bengaluru, two separate mobs gathered in front of DJ Halli and KG Halli police stations. The Islamists locked the gates of the stations from outside and started pelting stones. They damaged at least ten vehicles, including the Innovas of two DCPs that were parked outside the stations. What seemed to be a pre-planned attack by the Islamist mob resulted in damage of property in the police stations and outside, where dozens of vehicles were burnt down.
Along with NIA, the Bengaluru Central Crime Branch (CCB) is also conducting an investigation in the case in which it has submitted a preliminary charge sheet naming 60 people. CCB has included the names of former Mayor and Congress leader Sampath Raj and corporator Rakib Zakir in the DJ Halli riots case.
During the investigation, NIA conducted raids on 43 locations linked to the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). SDPI is the political wing of the radical Islamic organisation Political Front of India (PFI). Reportedly, NIA 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 arrested in connection with the riots that swept the city.
On June 30, NIA arrested 38-year-old accused Syed Abbas for his involvement in the riots. Other than him, 17 party leaders of the Islamist organisations SDPI and PFI were also arrested during the investigation 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.
