SDPI members acted like a ‘terrorist gang’ during 2020 Bengaluru riots: Report

New Delhi, Jan 04: The members of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political wing of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) acted like a terrorist gang the magisterial inquiry into the KG Halli and DJ Halli violence concluded.

The report said that the SDPI conspired to strike terror among the people and police authorities.

On December 22, the Cabinet accepted the magisterial inquiry report submitted by the Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner on the sequence of events, reasons and the death of three miscreants, a Deccan Herald report said. K J Halli and D J Halli witnessed widespread violence in August 2020. The report also gave a clean chit to the police action of lathi-charge and firing.

The report said that the illegal acts committed by the unlawful assembly, are not only due to the alleged Facebook post by P Naveen who is the nephew of Pulakeshinagar MLA, Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, but due to a large conspiracy by members of the SDPI members.

On August 11, 2020, a violent crowd gathered in front of the police stations and began pelting stones and set fire to the vehicles.

"During the course of the investigation, it was revealed that the accused persons conspired with each other to form an unlawful assembly to protest against the decisions of courts and government in cases relating to the Citizenship Amendment Act, the National Register of Citizens (NRC), The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act (popularly known as Triple Talaq Act) and the final judgment in the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi dispute," the report stated.

"During the course of the investigation, it was revealed that the accused persons conspired with each other to form an unlawful assembly to protest against the decisions of courts and government in cases relating to the Citizenship Amendment Act, the National Register of Citizens (NRC), The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act (popularly known as Triple Talaq Act) and the final judgment in the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi dispute," the note also said.

It further said that despite all precautionary measures, the chances of the riots spreading to other areas was very high. Hence it was inevitable for the police to take full control of the situation.