Organisations had differences over the way the police had taken action against some of the crimes that have led to disturbance of law and order in the district in recent days.
But they were all united in asking the police to impartially arrest persons allegedly involved in disturbing peace, without being bogged down by political pressure.
A peace committee meeting was organised on Tuesday at the office of Mangaluru Police Commissioner R. Hithendra in light of the group clash in Ulaibettu on Friday night and other stabbing cases reported in the last two days.
Inspector-General of Police (Western Range) Amrith Paul, Deputy Commissioner A.B. Ibrahim, Superintendent of Police Sharanappa S.D. and Chief Executive Officer of Zilla Panchayat Thulasi Maddineni participated in the meeting.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad south region working president M.B. Puranik said victimisation of innocents, regardless of the community they belong to, could not be tolerated.
“The police know who are involved. Go ahead and arrest them,” Mr. Puranik said, adding that delay in action will only escalate the problem. Activist G. Hanumanth Kamat said there was no longer a practice of holding peace committee meetings at police stations once in three months. Satyajit Surathkal from Hindu Jagaran Vedike said persons who take the responsibility of ensuring peace should participate in peace committee meetings. Peace could be restored if action was taken against persons involved in illegal transportation of cattle and those running illegal abattoirs.
Mr. Satyjit Surathakal said sections invoked by the police should not change for different communities when the nature of crime was the same.
Ajit Kumar Rai Malady, president of Bantara Yane Nadavara Matru Sangha, said the police should review persons attending peace committee meetings and call only the right ones.
The former Minister Krishna J. Palemar said the police should first take action against those who assault policemen, which would instill a sense of fear in the public. The former MLA N. Yogish Bhat said the police should go to the root of the sale of narcotic drugs in several parts of the city and arrest the persons involved as drugs were a cause for many troubles in the city. The former MLC Monappa Bhandary also spoke.
Mr. Hithendra said the police had been taking action against wrongdoers and they were not influenced by anybody. The sections of penal codes were being rightly invoked against the arrested in the charge-sheet, he said.
