Shobha Karandlaje, Ashoka booked for "provocative statements" over Nagamangala violence
Bengaluru (PTI): Cases have been registered against Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje and Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly R Ashoka for allegedly making provocative statements in the aftermath of clashes between two groups during a Ganesh idol immersion procession in Nagamangala, police said on Thursday.
Two separate FIRs were registered against the BJP leaders based on a complaint filed by a 45-year-old police officer at Nagamangala town police station in Mandya district, they said.
The cases have been registered under section 192 (Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot-if rioting be committed; if not committed) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, police said.
In an online post on September 13, Karandlaje said: "Prathama Poojya Ganesha has been arrested by the police in Mandya, Karnataka!! Anti-nationals threw stones & sandals at the Ganesha idol during the procession & burned more than 25 shops. CM Siddaramaiah and HM (G) Parameshwar(a) are protecting the culprits and covering up the incident."
"Spineless police took away the ganesha idol in police van today. The law and order situation in Karnataka has completely collapsed. Hindus feel neglected under Congress rule, feeling abandoned and orphaned.!!," the Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment had alleged.
Ashoka, citing eyewitnesses, had alleged in his social media post that three miscreants shouted slogans of 'Pakistan Zindabad' in the communal riots that took place at Nagamangala, and the suspicion of involvement of banned organisations in this incident was further strengthened.
According to police, an argument broke out between two groups, when the Ganesh idol procession by devotees from Badri Koppalu village reached a place of worship at Nagamangala on September 11 night, and some miscreants hurled stones, which escalated the situation in the town.
Following the clashes between the two groups, a few shops were vandalised and goods and vehicles set on fire on Wednesday night, they added.
Police used mild force to disperse the crowd to control the situation.
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'Contract killing' plot busted in Thane; victim's brother among four held
Thane (PTI): The Thane police have uncovered a "contract killing" plot and arrested four persons, including the victim's younger brother, who allegedly hired the assailants and lodged the complaint to mislead investigators and hide his role in the murder, officials said on Sunday.
The victim, identified as Paresh Tolaram Patil (40), was hacked to death on May 12 over a property dispute, and his brother allegedly paid Rs 10 lakh to the contract killers, an official said.
The same day, Naresh Tolaram Patil (37), an auto-rickshaw driver residing in the Bhiwandi area of Maharashtra's Thane district, lodged a police complaint alleging that his elder brother Paresh had been murdered by unidentified persons.
According to Naresh, his brother was riding his motorcycle to work at Vasai in neighbouring Palghar district when the unidentified assailants intercepted him and assaulted him with sharp weapons, in-charge Superintendent of Police Anmol Mittal said.
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Following the complaint, the Ganeshpuri police registered a case of murder on May 13.
The investigation teams examined several CCTV recordings along the suspected escape routes and used advanced technical surveillance.
The police then traced the registration plate of a vehicle allegedly used by the assailants, leading to the arrest of three alleged contract killers -- Rakesh Bhagwan Patil (37), Premjit Madhukar Gharat (38), and Daksh Bhanukant Bhoir (24) -- from Palghar, the official said.
"During intense interrogation, the three persons confessed to their involvement in the killing. They revealed that the plot was masterminded by the victim's brother, Naresh Patil, who had lodged the initial police complaint to misguide the law enforcement agencies," he said.
According to the official, Naresh Patil confessed to hatching the conspiracy due to an ongoing property dispute with his elder brother and that he had offered Rs 10 lakh to the three accused to eliminate Paresh.
Naresh Patil has also been arrested, and a further probe is underway into the case, they added.
