Haridwar/Hubballi: Incidents of communal flare-up during Hanuman Jayanti processions were reported from Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand while a mob went on a rampage, attacking police personnel, a hospital and a temple in Huballi in Karnataka over a social media post on Sunday.
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 have been clamped in Hubballi city in Karnataka and 40 people arrested after the violence that left 12 police personnel injured.
According to Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner Labhu Ram, a police complaint had been lodged on an objectionable social media post after which a person was arrested. Not satisfied with the action, some people gathered around the.two communities in Jahangirpuri during a Hanuman Jayanti procession on Saturday evening. Some vehicles were also torched.
Security has been beefed up in and around C and D blocks. Barricades have been put up and police personnel deployed at every 200 metres, police said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest) Usha Rangnani said an FIR was registered on Saturday under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 147 (rioting) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under the Arms Act.
Twenty people have been arrested and two juveniles apprehended in connection with the FIR, she said, adding that they had recovered 3 firearms and 5 swords from them.
One of the arrested accused, Md. Aslam, allegedly fired a bullet that hit a Delhi Police sub-inspector. The pistol used by him has been recovered from his possession, the DCP said, adding that he has also been found to be involved in a previous case.
Those arrested have been identified as: Zahid (20), Anshar (35), Shahjad (33), Mukhtyaar Ali (28), Mohd. Ali (18), Amir (19), Aksar (26), Noor Alam (28), Md. Aslam (21), Zakir (22), Akram (22), Imtyaz (29), Mohd. Ali (27), Ahir (35), Sheikh Saurabh (42), Suraj (21), Neeraj (19), Suken (45), Suresh (43), Sujeet Sarkar (38), and Salim (36).