New Delhi: Fifteen people were detained on Tuesday, March 14, in Karnataka’s Haveri district after participants in a procession by Hindu outfits pelted stones at a mosque and homes of members of the Muslim community, according to reports.
Hindu outfits took out a bike rally with a statue of Sangolli Rayanna – a 19th-century military leader who fought against the East India Company – on Tuesday, according to India Today. “When the procession crossed a Muslim neighbourhood, a few miscreants pelted stones at houses and a mosque,” the report added.
Haveri superintendent of police (SP) Shivakumar said in a video statement that around 100 people took a detour from the rally and pelted stones at the mosque and Muslim homes.
Stone pelted a mosque, few homes & vehicles in Haveri’s Rattihalli. Cops have confirmed that a group of about 100 people took a detour from the rally they were part of & indulged in the stone pelting, about 15 arrested and investigation is on.
Dr Shivakumar, SP Haveri 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/2FUdwctbkV— Deepak Bopanna (@dpkBopanna) March 14, 2023
“There was police deployment during the procession and immediately the situation was brought under control,” Shivakumar said, according to India Today. He said that on March 9, a similar rally was “disrupted by a few members of the Muslim community”, which may “have triggered the people”.
Since police officers were deployed during the procession, those who engaged in stone pelting would be identified, he added.