Violence in Mysore continued on Friday with a BJP slum morcha leader Giridhar being stabbed in the N R Mohalla area when he was seated with a Muslim friend in a car. Though the police said the incident was connected to a financial dispute and was not part of the communal clashes witnessed in the neighboring Udayagiri suburb, tension prevailed in the locality.

The police claimed to have detained a Muslim youth in connection with the attack on Giridhar, who is said to be in a serious condition. “Two people came on a motorcycle and attacked a Hindu and a Muslim. It is connected to some other dispute. An investigation is on,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Armed Reserve) B Shivanna.

After the violence of Thursday morning, two Hindus were stabbed late in the evening by a motorcyle borne duo in the Shanthinagar area. Much of Friday was peaceful, with people staying indoors. The Rapid Action Force carried out a peace march in the affected areas.

On Thursday, Junaid Pasha, a 14-year-old mechanic who was standing near his house, Mubarak, a 22-year-old lorry driver, and Tirupathy, a 42-year-old mason on his way to work, where killed as violence engulfed the area. While Pasha’s mother said her son died in the police firing, the police claim he was stabbed.

While the trigger for the violence on Thursday was the desecration of a disputed under-construction prayer hall in Kyathamaranahalli, there are reports of local Muslim leaders aggravating the violence in a battle of one upmanship. A lot of fingers are being pointed at the power tussle between Congress leaders — MLA Tanvir Sait and former Mayor Ayub Khan. “Many of the people involved in the rioting on Thursday were brought from outside. In the light of the communal clashes other scores are also being settled,” a Congress leader said. Party sources said Khan was trying to become the key Congress leader in the region.

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