On Monday, the Hubballi police arrested 15 more people in connection with the Hubballi riots that occurred on Saturday night outside the Old Hubballi police station.
According to the reports, the Hubballi police have so far arrested 103 people, and all the accused have been remanded in judicial custody for 14 days.
The court has also sent Abhishek Hiremath, who is accused of allegedly posting “provocative” content on social media, to judicial custody till April 30. He was produced before the court by the Hubballi Police on Monday.
Abhishek’s counsel has moved an application for bail, which is likely to be heard on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Hubballi police have given protection to Abhishek’s parents and have moved them out of the city, fearing possible attacks on them.
On Saturday, Abhishek was arrested by Hubballi Police on the charges of allegedly posting ‘derogatory content’ and ‘hurting religious sentiments’. The social media post had allegedly hurt the sentiments of the Muslims in the city. Angered over a social media post, the enraged mob had pelted stones at the old Hubli police station, a nearby temple, and a hospital.
The Muslim mob had injured a few policemen and damaged several police vehicles, section 144 was imposed in the city to curb the violence. The police commissioner Labhu Ram had informed that four policemen, including one inspector, were injured during the violence.
Among the arrested is the husband of an AIMIM councillor from the city, the party run by Asaduddin Owaisi.
Following the attacks, the Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai has hinted at a bigger conspiracy behind the attacks. He has suggested that the attacks could be pre-planned, and the organisations involved in the violence should remember that strict action will be taken against them for disturbing the law and order situation.
The violence at Hubli was not an isolated instance of stone-pelting in the country this Hanuman Jayanti. Similar events in different contexts occurred in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri and Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool when Hanuman Jayanti Shobha Yatras came under stone-pelting attacks.