Karnataka - Bangalore   

Protest turns violent in city

By Our Staff Reporter

A bus set on fire by protestors in Koramangala, Bangalore, on Friday. KPN

BANGALORE, FEB. 11. The Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) parade grounds on Sarjapur Road and surrounding areas in Koramangala were the scene of much tension and violence as people, including family members of KSRP personnel who were killed in the naxalite attack in Tumkur and residents of the KSRP quarters located in the area, resorted to stone throwing and set buses on fire on Friday night.

The people, who were waiting for the bodies of the KSRP personnel, were protesting the "failure" of the authorities to provide adequate security to the KSRP camp in Tumkur.

Twenty Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses and a Hoysala patrol van were set on fire by the mob. Five small shops were also torched and several BMTC buses and vehicles parked in front of houses on Sarjapur Road and in Koramangala damaged in the stone throwing. Police lobbed teargas shells, fired in the air and resorted to a lathi-charge but were not able to control the mob. There was a rumour that a boy was killed in the police firing.

The trouble started around 7.30 p.m. when the family members of the six KSRP personnel who were killed in the naxalite attack were waiting for the bodies to arrive at the KSRP parade grounds from the State police headquarters. Enraged over the naxalite attack, they alleged that the KSRP personnel at the camp in Tumkur were not given adequate protection and started throwing stones.

The police tried to bring the situation under control but in vain. Thirty police personnel were injured in the stone throwing. The Assistant Commissioner of Police, Madiwala, Nagaraj, and the Tilaknagar police inspector, Krishnappa, who were injured, were admitted to St. John's Medical College and Hospital, according to police sources.

A power shutdown in Koramangala worsened the situation, and shops and other establishments in the area were targeted. Later, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was deployed, and it brought the situation under control. However, stray incidents were reported from Sarjapur Road and Koramangala.

Bodies at Madiwala

Following the violence, the bodies were not taken to the KSRP parade grounds. Vehicles carrying the bodies were parked at the Madiwala police station.

The Commissioner of Police, S. Mariswamy, visited the affected areas.

Violence won't work: Siddaramaiah; Naxals show they are ready to do battle; Condition of policeman serious; Top naxalite leader masterminded attack? — Page 4

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