3 cases filed over clashes, stir during processions

Three separate cases have been registered in Karnataka following clashes and protests during Eid-e-Milad processions, police said on Tuesday.
Two of these cases were filed at Kolar city police station in connection with violent altercations during the procession on Monday. A third case was registered at Kartagi police station after a provocative speech during a protest against the Waqf Bill-2024 amendment.
In one of the cases registered in Kolar, tensions escalated during the Eid-e-Milad procession when a “Free Palestine” flag was displayed near the Anju man organisation. During the clash, six people were injured.
District superintendent of police (SP) B Nikhil was able to disperse the crowd, allowing the procession to continue. He said: “We registered two separate cases related to the incident. We had instructed the organisers not to display any national flags, but they exhibited the Palestine flag, leading to a case being filed.”
The second case concerns an assault near the city’s clock tower. Two people have been arrested, and additional security has been deployed across Kolar to prevent further unrest, an officer said.
According to police, the altercation occurred after a dispute between two groups spiralled into violence near the clock tower. One group, reportedly armed, attacked participants in the procession, injuring six people, including Syed Salman, Saif, Hussain Kaship, and Khalil Ahmed, all 30-40-years of age. The victims were treated at SNR District Hospital, and police identified Sayyid Wasim Pasha as being specifically targeted by the Thahir group in the clash.
In a separate development, an FIR was registered at Kartagi police station against Imran, district secretary of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), and two others for delivering a provocative speech during a protest. On September 13, members of the Muslim community in Kartagi, Koppal district, gathered to protest the central government’s proposed amendments to the Waqf Bill-2024.
Additionally, in Kaladagi village in Bagalkot district, police arrested Tausif Mehtar for allegedly posting a status on social media displaying a Pakistan flag on Monday.
On September 11, a group attacked devotees participating in a Ganesh procession in Nagamangala, Mandya district. Just days later, on September 15, tension gripped Bantwal when two people allegedly sent voice recordings challenging Hindu leaders to stop the Eid procession. A large gathering of Hindu workers was held at a local temple on September 16, though police successfully averted a clash.
The communal unrest continued in Dakshina Kannada district, where on September 15, police arrested six people for allegedly throwing stones at the Katipalla mosque. Authorities are investigating the incidents and working to maintain peace amid rising tensions in the state.