The Konaje police on Monday arrested five persons on charges of stabbing two BJP workers and injuring another while they were returning after celebrating the swearing-in of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister at Boliyar, near Mangaluru, on Sunday night.
City Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal identified the arrested persons as Mohammed Shakir, 28, Abdul Razak, 40, Abubaker Siddique, 35, Sawad, 18, and Monu alias Hafeez, 24.
A group of about 25 people allegedly committed the offence at Boliyar on Sunday, as per the complaint by a victim Krishna Kumar, a resident of Innoli.
Harish, 41, and Nanda Kumar, 24, both residents of Innoli, who were stabbed are being treated in a nearby private hospital.
Mr. Kumar, in his complaint told the police that the three were returning home when the group followed them and attacked them in front of Boliyar bar. Mr. Agrawal, in a communique, said raising shouting slogans by the victims in front of Boliyar Masjid could have been the trigger for the attack on them.
Counter-complaint
Meanwhile, Boliyar Jumma Masjid Committee president P.K. Abdulla filed a complaint with the Konaje police, accusing Suresh, Vinay, Subhash, Ranjith, and Dhananjay of raising provocative slogans in front of the masjid on Sunday night.
The police have registered a case under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code for offences of unlawful assembly, rioting, wanton vilification of a religion, breach of public peace, criminal intimidation etc.
MP condemns attack
Condemning the attack on BJP workers who were celebrating, Dakshina Kannada MP, Capt. Brijesh Chowta said this was the third such incident in the recent past. The inaction of the police in the previous incidents reported from Belthangady and Ullal had resulted in the present attack, he charged.
Capt. Chowta said the Congress was unable to digest Modi 3.0. “The inability of the Congress govt & its backened support to such elements has turned Karnataka into a den of such crime within a year,” he said on X.
Condemning the incident, BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra said the attack was a clear indication of failure of law and order in Karnataka under the Congress rule.
Dakshina Kannada BJP district president Satish Kumpala, in a statement, said miscreants were attempting to create a fear psychosis among people through such incidents and blamed the Congress government for it.
Mangaluru City South MLA D. Vedavyasa Kamath too has condemned the attack.
