3 dead,18 hurt in Mysore communal clash

Below the surface there are indications that the latest violence was fuelled by frustrations in the minority community over police action against them in April,as well as anger among Hindus over alleged temple desecrations during the same period,compounded by a dispute over the construction of the new mosque. Most importantly,there has been a struggle for political space between the Congress,perceived to be losing ground,and the ruling BJP.

“The violence spread all over Udayagiri. There was clashes on every street. It was a surprise since Mysore is not known to have seen such violence,” said Sunil Agarwal,Mysore Police Commissioner.

The clashes resulted in injuries to several policemen; one inspector even lost his service weapon,Agarwal said. “We had to use force. There were thousands of people clashing. We did not cause casualties. All the deaths occurred due to clashes,” he said,reacting to criticism that the police waited for three hours for additional forces to arrive at the spot before stepping into Udayagiri and the Kyathamaranahalli mosque on Thursday.

“We were at the spot as soon as we received information,but were told by people that they wanted local leaders to come before clearing the site of desecration. It was a flashpoint that had to be handled carefully,” he said.

Tajuddin,a resident of Udayagiri whose house bore bullet marks,said: “As word spread around,Muslims from all over began gathering at the Udayagiri circle,blocking traffic and staging a protest. When the violence started,it was insane. There were even children throwing stones. The police were firing. People in Mysore do not vote on communal lines. They want development. The Congress has few strong Muslim leaders and is trying to hang on to the support even as the BJP is winning support. This fact is at the core of the situation here.” Tajuddin is the son of former Mysore corporator Fakhrunama Khanum. He said Muslims feel they were being treated as second class citizens by the BJP government.

Tanveer Sait,the Congress MLA for the Narasimha Raja constituency under which Udayagiri falls,said the violence was a result of the tension in April when 84 Muslims were arrested and “falsely” accused of desecrating temples and the home of a former mayor.