'Congress’s Naked Politics Of Muslim Appeasement': BJP On Karnataka Government Withdrawing 2022 Hubballi Riot Cases

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday (11 October) slammed the Congress government in Karnataka for allegedly withdrawing the 2022 Old Hubballi police station riot case.

The case, filed in October 2022, concerns leaders from the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), including Mohammed Arif and others, who are accused of orchestrating a large mob of Muslims that gathered in the front of the Old Hubli police station, enraged over a social media post by one Abhishek Hiremath, which allegedly offended Islamic religious sentiments.

The violent mob gathered in front of the police station and pelted stones at the police station, hospital, temple, and houses.

The police had to impose Section 144 of the CrPc and resort to mild lathi-charge and tear gas shells to control the situation and disperse the mob.

The police registered 12 FIRs and arrested 158 individuals involved in the riots.

Currently, seven juvenile offenders, including All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) corporator Nazir Honya, are out on bail, while another 151 Muslim accused are lodged in Bellary and Kalaburagi Prisons.

The cases against them included criminal charges such as attempted murder and rioting, which have now been dropped despite objections from the prosecution, police and the department of law.

Attacking the Congress over the move, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya said, "The Congress Govt in Karnataka has withdrawn the Old Hubballi police station riot case, despite opposition from the Law and Police departments".

"The case, filed in Oct 2022, involved AIMIM leaders Mohammed Arif and others, accused of leading a large mob of Muslims, that attacked the police and threatened to storm the station. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had recently written to the Govt, requesting the case be dropped. Several police officers were seriously injured during the rioting and stone-pelting that followed," he said.

"This is nothing but Congress’s naked politics of Muslim appeasement," Malviya added.

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