Bengaluru violence: Accused Congress corporator Sampath Raj applies for anticipatory bail

Congress corporator and former Mayor Sampath Raj, accused in the Bengaluru riots case, has moved the court seeking pre-arrest bail. Disclosing this information on Tuesday, his advocate Balan opined that the Central Crime Branch had filed the chargesheet after 60 days without any material. Terming it as "political vendetta", he contended that there was no reason for invoking charges under the Arms Act and the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.

Moreover, the lawyer argued that his client was not physically present at the time of the violence. He, therefore, added that charges under Sections 141, 142, 143, 144, 149, 395, 435, and 436 of the Indian Penal Code were not applicable in this case. Speaking to the media, Balan also observed that there was no material in the chargesheet to substantiate the Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) charge. He exuded confidence in Raj being cleared by the legal system. 

Read: CM Will Talk To Centre Before Taking Action On Banning SDPI & PFI: Karnataka Home Minister

Police allege Congress role

The Central Crime Branch filed a chargesheet in connection with the large-scale violence that broke out in the DJ Halli and KG Halli areas of Bengaluru in August 2020. The 850-page chargesheet names 52 persons as the accused and contains more than 30 eyewitness accounts. Congress corporators- Sampath Raj and Zakir Hussain have been mentioned as accused number 51 and 52 respectively. As per sources, the police alleged that Congress leaders along with SDPI instigated the Bengaluru riots.

Read: Bengaluru Violence: NIA Arrests Key Conspirator, Raids 30 Places To Unearth Conspiracy

The Bengaluru riots

At around 8.30 pm on August 11, a riot-like situation was witnessed between the KJ Halli and DJ Halli police station limits in East Bengaluru. A mob of more than 1000 people gathered outside the residence of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy demanding immediate action against his relative Naveen. Soon, the police resorted to the use of force to contain the violence. By the time the situation was brought under control at around 1 am on August 12, three people were killed, nearly 60 police personnel including DCP Bhimashankar Guled were injured and over 300 vehicles were burnt in the violence. 

So far, more than 340 persons have been arrested for arson, stone-pelting, and attacking the police. This includes Naveen and Kaleem Pasha, the husband of Congress corporator Irshad Begum. Speaking to the media, Congress MLA  Akhanda Srinivas Murthy revealed that his house had been set on fire. Calling upon the police to probe and take action against the culprits, he questioned the safety of the common person in the city.

Read: SDPI & Congress In Blame-game Over Bengaluru Riot; Siddaramaiah Calls Govt A 'failure'