Three minor boys held for stone pelting on Om Shakti devotees in Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Jan 5 (PTI) Three minor boys have been detained in connection with a stone pelting incident targeting Om Shakti devotees at Jagjeevan Ram Nagar locality here, police sources said on Monday.

Two women were injured in the attack on the procession on Sunday night. After the incident, residents staged a demonstration at the JJ Nagar police station, demanding action against the culprits.

An additional police force has been deployed at JJ Nagar, fearing retaliatory action by the aggrieved people on Monday.

Senior police officers have camped in the locality and have started an investigation to trace the culprits involved in the crime.

Based on a complaint by Shashikumar N, a resident of VS Garden, an FIR was registered late on Sunday night.

According to Shashikumar, the incident occurred between 8.15 pm and 9 pm, when devotees were taking out a procession in the area.

The complainant alleged that three to four youths pelted stones at the procession, during which a female devotee sustained a serious head injury and suffered bleeding wounds.

She was subsequently admitted to a local hospital for treatment.

The complaint further claimed that in the past, similar incidents, including arson, had taken place during religious observances in the area.

It was also alleged that the locality has a significant Dalit population and that instances of atrocities against Dalits have occurred.

Noting that the incident amounted to an attack on religious sentiments and an act of intimidation, Om Shakti devotees and Ayyappa Swamy devotees jointly sought strict legal action against those responsible.

In a post on ‘X’, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said, “Karnataka today stands as a grim example of the complete collapse of law and order under @INCKarnataka rule. Miscreants roam with impunity, emboldened by a government whose appeasement politics and dangerously soft stance towards those harbouring a jihadist mindset have effectively signalled that certain sections are beyond the reach of the law, and this has now begun to serve as their shield.” He alleged that communal tension is rising by the day due to selective enforcement of the law, carried out with the “tacit approval of the political executive”.

According to him, these incidents are “clear consequences of a government that has prioritised appeasement over public safety”.

“I urge the Congress government to abandon this dangerous path and immediately identify, arrest and prosecute all miscreants involved, without fear or favour,” he wrote in his post.

Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka said if the police do not take the attack on Om Shakti Sangha seriously, such incidents will recur.

“In JJ Nagar, three Muslim boys were trained and sent to throw stones. The devotees were attacked while returning quietly after visiting the temple. The girl who was injured has suffered mental trauma. She is afraid that if she comes in front of the media, she won't be able to show her face later. We have assured her that all kinds of treatment and cooperation will be provided,” he told reporters. PTI GMS GMS ROH