Bengaluru violence last year was SDPI plan to create communal unrest in India: NIA charge sheet
Bengaluru, Feb 23: The violence in Bengaluru on August 12 last year in which Dalit Congress MLA R Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy's house and two police stations were torched was a larger conspiracy by the Social Democratic Party of India to create communal disharmony in the country, the NIA said in its charge sheet filed recently in a special court here.
The National Investigation Agency took up the investigation after a person moved the Karnataka High Court demanding a probe by the agency.
The agency has named 247 people as accused in the case, according to NIA sources.
Reacting to the charge sheet, Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said it was a conspiracy by the SDPI and the social media has become an easy tool for such organisations.
"These handlers (of social media) are not only in India, but also outside. I am confident that justice will be done," Bommai told reporters.
While the immediate cause of violence in which more than 4,000 people from minority community went on rampage was allegedly a social media post by Pulakeshinagar MLA R Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy's nephew Naveen, the NIA charge sheet said the SDPI cadres provoked him with derogatory message to insult Hindu Gods in a social media post and tagged him along.
"The SDPI in Bengaluru was unhappy with the decisions of the Central government on certain matters which are repeal of Article 370, issue of CAA/NRC, Supreme Court verdict on Babri Masjid case, Triple Talaq etc."
"They were waiting for an opportunity to create communal disharmony and thereby create unrest in the country," the charge sheet read.
After prime accused Fairoz Pasha joined the SDPI, Mohamed Shariff, Muzammil Pasha and other SDPI Bengaluru district leaders hatched a criminal conspiracy, it said.
"In furtherance to the conspiracy, they decided to post some derogatory message to insult and provoke Hindu Gods and the Hindu community through Fairoz Pasha's Facebook account," the NIA said.
It added that the conspirators intentionally selected August 11, 2020 because it was Krishna Janmashtami, an auspicious day for Hindus.
The agency said SDPI cadres were well prepared to respond to any situation and to execute their plans for a violent attack. Accordingly, on August 11 afternoon, Fairoz Pasha posted a video and audio clip, it said.
The comments in English made blasphemous and utterly derogatory comments on Hindu Gods and Goddesses,the charge sheet said.
Fairoz then tagged Naveen in the post.The post provoked Naveen to respond in a similar aggressive manner against the Prophet, the NIA stated.
After noticing Naveen's reply, Fairoz approached the Muslim community members and organisation leaders for lodging complaint against him and pressurise the police and government to act against Naveen, it said.
The post was widely circulated in WhatsApp and other social media accounts to hold him accountable for the violence.
In the night, Fairoz Pasha mobilised SDPI cadres and others to attack houses of Naveen and Murthy and also the KG Halli and DJ Halli police stations and police personnel, the charge sheet read.
Four people were killed in the violence including three in police firing and one due to abdominal injuries while many vehicles and shops were torched and damaged inside and outside the police stations.
The city police, which too is probing the case simultaneously, has accused the former Congress Mayor R Sampath Raj, who is a corporator of DJ Halli ward, of being part of the conspiracy to politically finish off his own party's MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy.
Sampath remained absconding for many weeks before he was finally caught. He is now out on bail.
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Austrian police detain suspect in case of rat poison found in baby food jars on supermarket shelves
Vienna (AP): Police in eastern Austria say a 39-year-old suspect has been arrested after rat poison turned up in some HiPP baby food jars on supermarket shelves in central Europe.
HiPP, which recalled some of its baby food jars in Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic after the case came to light last month, said in a statement Saturday it was “greatly relieved” by the arrest, and would provide further updates as verified details come in.
The Burgenland State Criminal Police Office, under the direction of prosecutors, said a probe was launched after poison turned up in a baby food jar purchased at a supermarket in the city of Eisenstadt on April 18.
It said the suspect was being questioned, and that no further details would be immediately provided. The Burgenland public prosecutor's office has announced an investigation into suspected “intentional endangerment of the public.”
The Austrian Press Agency reported that an expert report on the toxicity of the poison was pending. A total of five tampered baby food jars were seized before they could be consumed, APA reported.
Authorities said previously they believe the tampering occurred in 190-gram (6.7-ounce) jars of baby food made with carrots and potatoes for 5-month-olds that were sold from SPAR supermarkets in Austria.
HiPP responded by recalling all of its baby food jars sold at SPAR supermarkets — which include SPAR, EUROSPAR, INTERSPAR and Maximarkt stores — in Austria as a precaution. Vendors in Slovakia and the Czech Republic also removed all of the brand's baby jars from sale.
The company said the recall was not due to any product or quality defect on its part, and said the jars left its facility in “perfect condition.”
Police said a customer at the time of the discovery had reported that a jar appeared to have been tampered with, but no one had consumed the baby food.
