The charge-sheet filed by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) in connection with the Bengaluru riots case states that the Congress leader Sampath Raj joined hands with radical Islamic organisation such as SDPI to target his own party’s Dalit MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy.
According to the reports, the charge-sheet filed by the Bengaluru CCB said that members of the Muslim community were already upset over the issues of the Citizenship Amendment Act, triple talaq, NRC and Ram Mandir. The charge-sheet adds that the Congress leaders used these angry mobs to create unrest in DJ Halli and KG Halli areas on August 11 to settle political rivalry against their own party MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy.
The social media post allegedly put up by Congress Dalit MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy’s nephew P Naveen acted as a spark for the violence. The alleged post was against beliefs of the Muslim community, word of it spread among members of the community, which resulted in violent protests in the city on August 11, the charge-sheet says. It is pertinent to note that it was alleged at the time that P Naveen had used derogatory language against the Prophet of Islam.
“Using the social media post by Naveen, groups of people along with the sitting MLA’s political rivals spread contents of the post on their Whatsapp groups which went viral. Groups were mobilised quickly, they were instructed that their community should be protected and people like the MLA and his nephew should be taught a lesson for such acts,” the charge-sheet reads.
Shockingly, the Congress party leader Sampath Raj used this opportunity to settle his political rivalry against his own party MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy and joined hands with SDPI leaders to unleash violence on the streets of DJ Halli and KG Halli, the CCB charge-sheet accessed by Times Now reads.
Congress leaders instigated Muslim mobs, used their anger to target Dalit MLA
The charge-sheet accessed by Times Now reveals the Congress leaders Sampath Raj and another accused Congress leader Abdul Rakeeb Zakir were plotting against Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy for almost three months since May 2020. Reportedly, the Congress leaders were waiting for an opportunity to create an issue to direct Muslim community’s anger towards Murthy.
Sampath Raj had periodically mobilised these mobs to protest over issues such CAA, NRC, triple talaq, Ram Mandir etc.
Congress leader Sampath Raj and his associates had hatched a plot and held a meeting with Muslim youths at Haseena Hall at DJ Halli. “To cause a commotion by instigating Muslims, some of the accused used to hold meetings often. They got an opportunity when Murthy’s nephew Naveen made an objectionable social media post,” states the charge-sheet according to a TNM report.
“They used the alleged social media post, made other wild allegations against pertaining to targetting of Muslims, to carry out the attack on his house. A mob led by A 14(Syed Naeem), 15 (Syed Imran) and 35(Mujahid Khan) went to the location and joined another group of people there. There was already a large mob were at the MLA’s house that is located barely 500 meters from the police station,” the charge-sheet filed by the CCB says.
The charge-sheet also reveals that Muslim mob had the intention to ‘murder’ Murthy even as the two Congress corporators were conspiring to ‘politically finish’ Murthy.
Reportedly, Congress leaders Sampath Raj and Zakir coordinated the attacks and incited the Muslim mob to go on a rampage. The charge-sheet says that the duo had left their phones at their homes so that the police could not track them near the riots.
The investigating agency has named Congress corporators Sampath Raj and Zakir Hussain as accused number 51 and 52, respectively in the Bengaluru riots case. Earlier on Tuesday, the NIA also grilled two Congress MLAs from the city – Chamrajpet MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan and Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad in connection with the violence that erupted in the DJ Halli and KG Halli areas of Bengaluru on August 11.
