Sec 144 extended in Bangalore riot areas till Tuesday

The city police Sunday extended restrictions imposed under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure till 6 am of August 18 in Tuesday’s riot-hit areas following the death of one more person. Sayyad Nadeem, 24, died following an abdominal operation and he also tested positive.

While local leaders claimed that Nadeem died in police firing, the police said he had no bullet injuries and that he was injured in the chest and neck by a tear gas shell. He was arrested on August 12 as CCTV footage showed his deep involvement in the rioting.

The police have arrested more people for rioting, taking the total to 340, including leaders of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and the husband of a Congress corporator.

Meanwhile, preliminary forensic findings from tests on burnt vehicles showed that the massive mob had come armed with a huge stock of inflammable liquids, indicating that Tuesday night’s violence may have actually been planned.

The Forensic Science Laboratory team found traces of petrol, diesel, kerosene and paint thinner in samples they collected. “Prima facie, these liquids were used to set vehicles on fire. This shows the mob had come prepared to torch vehicles,” an investigating officer told the local press.

The investigation also revealed that the rioters had forced open fuel tanks of vehicles to set fire to vans and bikes in the area.

The violence was sparked due to inaction over a communally-charged social media post by Naveen, the nephew of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy.