Central parts of Mangaluru, particularly State Bank and Bunder areas, virtually resembled a battleground with an unruly mob comprising thousands of miscreants throwing stones, bottles, sticks and other objects at the police as well as the general public in the afternoon on Thursday.
After the police resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse a mob that made an attempt to lay a siege to the Deputy Commissioner’s office at State Bank violating prohibitory orders, hundreds of youngsters trickled from the bylanes of the adjoining areas and began throwing stones on the police as well as the general public.
As the police continued to disperse them, the miscreants entered several buildings on Nellikai Road and adjoining areas from where they continued to throw stones on the police. Meanwhile, thick clouds of smoke were visible from the Bunder area indicating burning of tyres.
When The Hindu visited the area a little thereafter, along with the police, the miscreants were seen gathered on important roads, in several directions, of the locality, including Bibi Alabi Road, Azizuddin Road, Bunder Road and adjoining areas. The mob had just made a futile attempt to set the North Police Station building at Bunder on fire before attacking the police personnel there.
According to Police Commissioner P.S. Harsha, who was leading the police team, the miscreants first blocked all roads leading to the North Police Station and then attacked the police personnel causing severe injuries to many of them. Firing in the air and lobbing tear-gas shells did not deter the miscreants who continued their onslaught, he said and added that the police had to use force. Some of them threw back the stones at the miscreants in which process two people suffered serious injuries and died in a hospital, he said.
Prior to this, Mr. Harsha had urged several Muslim leaders, including the former Mayor K. Ashraff and Ataulla, to pacify the mob. As Mr. Ashraf went to talk to the miscreants on MPT Road, he was hit by a stone and was severely injured in his head. Mr. Ashraff was immediately shifted to a hospital.
While the police party was near the North Police Station, miscreants emerged from all three corners of Azizuddin Road, Bunder Road and Bibi Alabi Road and continued to throw stones and bottles at the police while setting inflammable material on fire. They dispersed when the police lobbed tear-gas shells but soon resurfaced once the impact of the tear gas waned.
By evening, the situation came under control even as curfew came to be imposed till midnight on Sunday.
