Date:06/10/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/10/06/stories/2006100608960100.htm

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Clash sparks violence in Mangalore

Special Correspondent

Schools, colleges closed for two days, ban orders in two taluks

DISPERSING THE MOB: Riot police lobbing a tear gas shell near Kalikamba temple road in Mangalore on Thursday.

MANGALORE: Miscreants attacked shrines belonging to two communities at two places in Mangalore on Thursday. A group of at least 50 people threw stones and broke the window panes of a religious place at Padil by the side of the National Highway 48. Another mob attacked another place of worship in old Mangalore. Both the places have been damaged.

Inspector General of Police (Western Range) H.N. Sathyanarayana Rao told presspersons here that in the violence that broke out Mangalore and Buntwal taluks and Mangalore city, 42 persons including seven policemen had been injured. The police had detained seventy persons for interrogation.

The police have registered 24 cases in both the taluks and resorted to lathicharge in 14 places and fired two rounds in the air. About 30 tear gas shells had been lobbed, he added.

Preliminary reports stated that 18 vehicles including autorickshaws, motorcycles and buses, had been damaged.

Mr. Rao said the district had 22 platoons of striking forces, and civil forces from Chikmagalur had also arrived. Police had made elaborate security arrangements all over the city and in sensitive places, Mr. Rao added.

A van belonging to a newspaper was damaged by the mob and three two-wheelers were set afire in Mangalore, Padil and Farangipet. Police had to resort to lathicharge to quell mobs in Kudroli, Farangipet, Padil, Adyar and Alape. They also lobbed tear gas shells in all these places and in Kalikamba road in lower Car Street when a mob threw stones at a place of worship and torched a two-wheeler. A wine shop and an eatery were vandalised in Farangipet.

Police opened fire in the air to quell a mob, which attacked a police outpost in Farangipet and vandalised it besides manhandling the policemen.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada M. Maheshwar Rao both Mangalore and Buntwal taluks have been put under prohibitory orders. He will review the situation with the district officials and community leaders on Friday before taking the next course of action.

Tension

Mangalore city and adjoining areas experienced tension following group clashes and stone throwing in certain sensitive areas.

According to police, the situation was under control but tense as the city observed the bandh called by certain organisations. District administration has tightened the prohibitory orders in Mangalore taluk limits starting from 10 a.m. on Thursday to October 8.

Tension sparked following an accident involving a tempo carrying cattle to a slaughterhouse in Kudroli. The incident occurred on Wednesday night when the tempo hit two sports utility vehicles and sped in the direction of the slaughterhouse.

The people in the damaged vehicles followed the tempo and stopped it near the slaughterhouse. But a mob of youngsters belonging to a particular community had already gathered there armed with bottles and stones, which they threw at the vehicles. Three persons in the SUVs were injured and one of them was admitted to a local hospital.

Soon after the incident, a group of young people from another community arrived on the spot and retaliated. About 20 vehicles parked by the roadside were damaged and 15 persons were injured. They were all admitted to the hospital.

ATM counters were made to pull down shutters after the security guards were forced to keep their loaded guns inside the counters during the bandh on Thursday. Schools to be closed

All schools and colleges in Mangalore and Buntwal taluks will remain closed on Friday and Saturday according to Mr. Masheshwar Rao. He said prohibitory orders would be in force in both the taluks during the two days. Schools and colleges in Mangalore, Ujre, Belathangady and Buntwal remained closed on Thursday.