Violence breaks out against social media post by Congress MLA's alleged aide

A mob rampd through Bengaluru's Pulakeshi Nagar Tuesday night and vandalised a police station and a Congress legislator's residence after an alleged relative of MLA shared a social media post purportedly on a communal issue, police said. A large number of people gared near MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy's residence and vandalised it and damd vehicles parked re.

mob n targeted police station and damd vehicles believing that police had kept accused detained re, y said. police teams that tried to contain violence also bore brunt of mob as ir vehicles were damd, eye-witnesses said.

Police sources said a person said to be a close relative of Murthy allegedly shared a social media post that enrd members of a community. Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said riots and arson are against law and warned rioters that he has given police a free hand to contain violence. Later, MLA Murthy appealed to community members to t resort to violence.

"I am appealing to my Muslim brethren that we should t resort to violence for fault committed by some miscreants. re is need to fight. We all are brors. We will get person punished as per law. We will also be with you. I appeal to Muslim friends to be calm," he said in a video mess.

Congress MLA and former minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan said violence was unfortunate.

"I am hopeful that police will take action against all those who are responsible for this. I also request everyone to stay calm and maintain peace in area," Khan tweeted.

After learning about incident, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant had rushed to spot but his intervention too did t stop rioters. Later, Bengaluru police tweeted that it had to lathi-charged mob, lob tear gas and finally open fire to control m. police said culprits of Tuesday's violence and arson will t be spared.