Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday took to Twitter to condemn the East Bangalore riots that were the result of a Congress MLA’s nephew making derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammed.
The subsequent riots resulted in vehicles getting torched, and people and police getting injured. So far, five people have been killed in clashes.
Siddaramaiah, however, courted controversy with the tweet, where he asked both Hindus and Muslims to stay calm, drawing a lot of flak on social media.
“Our experience tells us that only innocents suffer in the communal riots. I urge leaders from both the religion to discuss and resolve the issue amicably & restore peace in the area,” he tweeted.
In his final tweet, which was in Kannada, the former Karnataka CM said, “The attack on the police station is reprehensible. The police should not lose morale. In the case of such cases, the police should act promptly and take appropriate action against the guilty Small neglect can lead to disaster.”
Twitter user Arun Pudur, who is followed by senior BJP leaders including Dharmendra Pradhan and Varun Gandhi questioned why Hindus were getting dragged into it.
This is how others tweeted:
Earlier, a mob rampaged through Bengaluru's Pulakeshi Nagar and vandalised a police station and Congress legislator Akhanda Srinivas Murthy's residence after his nephew Navin shared a social media post on Prophet Muhammad. Reportedly, more than 25 vehicles and 200 bikes were torched. 60 police officers were injured, according to reports.
Bengaluru Police have arrested 110 accused of arson, stone-pelting and assault on the police, said Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant on Wednesday morning.
He tweeted, "With regard to incidents in DJ Halli, accused Naveen arrested for posting derogatory posts.. also total 110 accused arrested for arson, stone pelting and assault on police. APPEAL TO ALL TO COOPERATE WITH POLICE TO MAINTAIN PEACE."
