KARNATAKA: Karnataka Police on Monday arrested six persons attached to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) for pelting stones at a mosque in communally sensitive Dakshina Kannada district.
The incident was reported from Surathkal region near Mangaluru city on Sunday night.
The arrested persons have been identified as Bharath, Chennappa, Nitin, Sujith, Manu and Preetham. The accused had allegedly pelted stones on Badriya mosque located in Katipalla near Surathkal. The accused had come on bikes and escaped after committing the crime.
Mangaluru Police Commissioner Anupam Agarwal stated that accused members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad were arrested in the incident. He further said that it is a sensitive incident and he can’t reveal more information. The situation is presently peaceful and under control, he maintained.
The mosque's windows were shattered to pieces in the incident and a tense situation prevailed in the region as people gathered at the site on Sunday night. As the incident took place on the eve of Eid Milad, Surathkal Police were deployed to maintain law and order.
The incident took place on Sunday night around 10.30 p.m. when miscreants arrived on two bikes and pelted stones at the mosque. Eyewitnesses and locals have told the police that the miscreants were wearing masks.
The residents who are largely based in the surrounding areas of the mosque urged the police to initiate action and ensure safety for them. The police had gathered CCTV footage from the mosque premises and also from the shops and houses located in the vicinity.
The police swiftly held a meeting with community leaders and assured them that the culprits would be caught sooner. The prominent leaders from Katipalla of both communities came forward and appealed to the people not to indulge in disturbing peace.