Even as a number of complaints were being registered at the police station, Kalladka limped back to normality on Sunday, a day after violence broke out at a Congress meeting and police imposed prohibitory orders.
Four cases were lodged at the Bantwal Town Police Station – cases pertaining to setting four bikes, one multi-purpose vehicle on fire and damage to another car, apart from assault cases from both sides involved in the politically and communally-incited violence — and three persons have been arrested and the police are on the lookout for more, said Additional Superintendent of Police T.P. Shivakumar.
Five Karnataka State Reserve Police platoons kept a vigil in the town. Section 144 (Prohibitory orders) has been clamped in the taluk till Monday. On Saturday evening, violence erupted at a Congress-organised harmony meet – attended by Forest Minister B. Ramanath Rai – when Zilla Panchayat member Chandraprakash Shetty allegedly passed remarks against RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat. The political rivalry turned communal and group belonging to one community targeted a jewellery store owned by a member of another community. Its owner has estimated the loss at Rs. 1.5 lakh, and also lodged a complaint with the police.
