Pramesh S Jain
In a Joint operation by West Division Police and CCB police have arrested Irfan the mastermind the prime accused in the Padarayanapura violence case which took place on 19th April.
The team arrested him from KG Halli on Monday.Irfan,who allegedly led the attack on healthcare workers visiting the locality for COVID-19 tests,was on the run and was hiding in relatives house is finally in the police net.
Nine special teams were formed by commissioner of police,Bhaskar Rao under the leadership of Addl CP West,Soumendu Mukherjee and Joint CP Crime,Sandeep Patil to identify and arrest the accused.The police identified Irfan from CCTV camera footage and mobile phone recordings.
Irfan (35),a resident of Arafat Nagar and a member of the Islamist Organisation Karnataka Forum for Dignity is the arrested accused.Irfan was taken to JJ Nagar police station and questioned amidst tight security.
The police have arrested so far more than 117 accused including a women accused identified as Faroza alias lady Don who is involved in drug peddling and other anti social activities in the area.
At least five persons of the 123 accused in Padarayanapura violence case,who were lodged in Ramanagara jail,have tested positive for the coronavirus COVID-19 case.Following the confirmation of COVID-19,the district administration immediately shifted the five accused to designate isolation facility at the Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru and others to a HAJ Bhavan in Hegdenagar at the quarantine centre.
A ruckus erupted in Padarayanapura on Sunday allegedly over the shifting of 15 secondary contacts of corona positive patients to a quarantine facility by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials.It is to be noted that Padarayanapura has been declared a red or containment zone.
On April 19,at least 59 people were arrested in Padarayanapura after they created a ruckus,broke the barricade and attacked BBMP officials,who had come to the area to shift suspected coronavirus COVID-19 patients in quarantine.
The local goons attacked the BBMP officials and shouted slogans against them.They also damaged the set up of BBMP and threw away the tables and chairs.Some local residents broke the barricade and removed police check post from the area.
One lady Feeroza was also been arrested for the attack on the civic body officials.A total of 5 FIRs have been registered in the case.Locals says some of the people agreed to move to the quarantine centre but some resisted the move.Soon a crowd gathered and roughed up the officials and ASHA workers.They also broke the barricades set up to seal the area.
The small police force accompanying the BBMP officials and ASHA workers failed to control the situation and reinforcement was sent in.The attackers were dispersed after the more police personnel were called in.Bengaluru Deputy Commissioner’s of Police of all divisions had reached the spot after hearing the news and brought the situation under control.
Karnataka has registered a total of 384 COVID-19 cases so far, of which 14 people have succumbed to the infection,as per the Union Health Ministry
Senior officer said,A large number of people took to the streets on Sunday,most of them young.These people beat up the health workers who reached there.Authorities have alleged that he has been beaten up severely.At the same time, when some local people arrived to save these officers,they were also beaten up.
As per the reports,the violence in Padarayanapura was fully pre-planned.The mob had operated in 4 teams.While 1 team was seen indulging in violence on the main road,a second team was seen damaging and vandalising the check posts,a third team was seen pelting stones on policemen and a fourth team was vandalising public property.
After this incident,a large number of police personnel have been deployed to prevent any untoward situation and to isolate people suspected of infection with Covid-19.Policemen also conducted a flag march in this area.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner,Bhaskar Rao later met Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa and informed him about the situation in Padarayanpura.There have been reactions from various sections after this violent incident.
Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the attack on corona warriors in Padarayanpura will not be tolerated.The minister told reporters,I met the chief minister and told him about the incident.He has directed to take stringent action on those who are involved in the attack.I have said the same to my officials.We will not tolerate any such act on behalf of anyone.We have arrested 117 people.There have been five FIRs in this regard.
At the same time,Health Minister B Sriramulu has warned those involved in this incident.BJP leader and MP Shobha Karandlaje said,’people who attacked the Corona warriors in Padarayanpura when they went to separate the first and secondary contact of patients infected with Corona will not be spared.Health workers are working all night to stop the corona virus pandemic and these people are attacking our hero.Do not be soft with these anti-nationals Shobha karandalje said to reporters.
Meanwhile,minority leaders have met Congress state president DK Shivakumar to explain to the people of the minority community to help identify the patients or carriers of Covid-19.Former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy also condemned the attack on Corona warriors and demanded strict action against the culprits.
Congress MLA BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan condemned the incident and said why did the health workers and police go in the area at night instead of going in the day?Khan told reporters that he had told the police and health workers that they would bring them at 10 am.Khan said that the attackers were illiterate workers who did not know what they were doing.
Padarayanpura and Bapuji Nagar are among the first areas which have been completely closed as people were not following the government guidelines here.
The Padarayanapura area with Arafat Nagar area in Padarayanapura has been completely seal down and additional force has been deployed with Garuda force and 10 KSRP platoons have been deployed in each street and the situation is under control now.
Meanwhile the State Government on Wednesday promulgated the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Ordinance 2020 to protect healthcare workers and officials engaged in Covid-19 related duties.The new law provides for stringent punishment to persons who come in the way of their official duties or those who vandalise public or private property.
The Cabinet on Monday decided to promulgate the ordinance in view of its urgency on the lines of Uttar Pradesh and Kerala.Karnataka’s ordinance provides for imprisonment of six months to three years and a fine of up to Rs 50,000 for the offences punishable under this law.
If anyone or grounds are found involved in damaging a public or private property, then the government will recover twice the value of the property as decided by the authorities, the ordinance says.
On tuesday morning Bengaluru police Commissioner tweeted,Led by our Home Minister Sh Basavaraj Bommai, over 100 of us policemen who had ventured into Padrayanapura underwent the Covid 19 Test and to much relief came Negative. Blessings of Bangaloreans he tweeted.
