Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Feb 25: In its charge sheet filed in the court, National Investigation Agency (NIA) has said that the DJ Halli riot was launched by Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and Students' Federation of India (SFI) leaders to flare up people's anger against the central government on the issues concerning the Supreme Court verdict on Babri Masjid, special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and triple talaq.

Rioters had vandalised residences of Pulakeshinagar MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, and his relative, Naveen at K G Halli, apart from burning and damaging police and private vehicles besides torching some houses. Many policemen had been injured in the stone pelting on October 11, 2020 and four had died due to police firing to quell the violence.

Aftermath of DJ Halli violence (file photo)

NIA has said that SDPI activists who had held prolonged protests against the government on the issue of CAA and NRC, were waiting to vitiate communal harmony by launching large scale disturbances. SDPI members, Fairoz Pasha, Mujammil Pasha and others, in order to stir up communal passions of Hindu community, had entered into criminal conspiracy and used to post inflammatory posts which stirred up religious emotions of Hindus. NIA said that these leaders were waiting for unrest to be created due to the Facebook posts and to utilise the opportunity to create disturbances by drawing support of Muslim community. As part of this plan, a post that could hurt Hndu emotions was made and tagged to Naveen. Naveen had replied to the post in a way that could insult the Muslims. Fairoz provoked the people who had already gathered near MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy's residence in response to Naveen's post, to indulge in disturbances after which houses of Murthy and Naveen were torched. Fairoz was among those who attacked fire tenders which had come there to douse the fire, NIA said.