A provocative speech by a controversial Muslim cleric outside the Old Hubballi police station had enraged the Muslim mob culminating in attacks against the police station in Hubballi on Saturday, reports Vijayavani.
According to the reports, Maulana Wasim Mobalik, alias Pathan was seen standing atop the Hubballi police commissioner’s car outside Old Hubballi police station, making provocative speeches. The police suspect that the mob resorted to stone-pelting at the old Hubli police station, a nearby temple, and a hospital.
In the images that have gone viral, Maulana Pathan, dressed in blue attire, was seen standing outside the police station, inciting the crowd. Waseem addressed an agitated mob, which had gathered to protest against the post. After his inflammatory speech, large-scale violence happened in Hubballi.
The police have collected the video of the hate speech, which shows the accused Maulana standing on a vehicle of the police commissioner and delivering his speech, police said.
The Maulana made some provocative speech outside the police station, demanding to hand over the person who had allegedly made a derogatory speech against Islam. Next to Maulana Wasim, the local Congress leader Altaf Hallur can also be seen encouraging him to deliver the provocative speech.
Maulana had made a provocative speech at a dargah
It is also being reported that a provocative speech made at a dargah in Hubli earlier in the day fuelled protests outside the police station. Inspired by Maulana’s provocative speech, more than 200 Muslim youths assembled outside the police.
The local reports suggest that the Maulana has escaped after inciting the Muslim mob. The police have begun their search to arrest Maulana, whose speech is reported to have triggered riots in the city.
Meanwhile, the police have arrested more than 120 persons in connection with the violence. Many accused have disappeared, fearing arrest by the police. The eight special teams formed to nab the accused have continued their operations.
Muslim cleric asks not to share videos on social media
Similarly, audio has gone viral in which a Muslim cleric can be heard asking fellow Muslims to not share videos on social media as it could be used to identify the rioters and arrest them.
The cleric asked another person not to share any posts or videos with a person and asked him to convey messages among Muslims so that the police do not provide any evidence to act against the rioters.
“The police will recognise our people, and they will arrest them. Our people will be targeted and sent to jail. Whatever happened yesterday is due to the blessing of Allah,” a senior cleric can be heard saying in the video.
Police officials say the mob wanted to kill them
The Hubballi police have registered two cases against the Muslim mob in connection with the attacks on the police station in Hubballi based on a complaint filed by police inspector Jagdish.
In the complaint, the police inspector Jagdish said they were attacked and had to escape from the mob to save his life. He also said that the enraged mob threatened them to kill him and pelted stones at him and other police officials. Jagdish and his team were deployed to rescue the police personnel at the Old Hubballi police station, who was attacked by the Muslim mob.
“We sat inside the jeep as the mob encircled us. They stopped us from doing our duty and threatened us to kill. The mob had assembled outside Old Hubballi women’s police station. We received orders from higher officials to reach the premises. So at 10.30 pm, we left towards Aravind Nagar. a mob of 100-150 people stopped us from moving forward. The mob was carrying sharp weapons, rods, and stones,” the police inspector said in his complaint.
The violence at Hubli was not an isolated instance of stone-pelting in the country this Hanuman Jayanti. Similar events in different contexts occurred in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri and Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool when Hanuman Jayanti Shobha Yatras came under stone-pelting attacks.
