On Thursday, August 11, the Karnataka police imposed Section 144 in the Hulihyder village of Koppal district in Karnataka, after Hindus and Muslims came face to face over an alleged inter-faith love affair where a Hindu boy and a Muslim girl were in love.
According to the police, two people namely Pasha Walli (22) and Yenakapaa Talavad (60) died in the clashes and at least six more were injured as the two groups, armed with sticks and weapons, assaulted each other. Several vehicles parked in front of the houses of the boy and a girl who belong to two different communities were also vandalised. Miscreants also pelted stones at several houses breaking window glasses.
In what had transpired, a Hindu boy was in love with a Muslim girl. During a Muharram program, the boy went to meet the girl, after which an argument broke out between them. Soon, other people from both communities joined them and started beating each other.
Another police officer was quoted by Hindustan Times, “A Valmiki boy and a Muslim girl were in living together and had eloped. Both are major. We brought them back and handed them to their respective families. But the girl came back and this caused a lot of tension,” said a police official from the Kanakagiri police station, on condition of anonymity.
As the ruckus flared, the police arrived on the scene and took the situation under control. Koppal sub-divisional officer has imposed Section 144 in and two kilometres around the village till August 20. Eight police officers and a KSRP platoon have been deployed as a precautionary measure in the village. School children were sent home after communal clashes took place in the village.
Koppal SP Arunangshu Giri, who visited the village and reviewed the situation, said, “two people have died and another seriously injured in Hulihaidar village clashes. Section 144 has been imposed in the village. Bashavali had gone to a shop in the village where a war of words ensued which led to clashes.
“The situation has been contained now as SP, DySPs and other police personnel are present on the ground,” the official said.