Bengaluru police probe rioters’ links with Islamic groups

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru Police are probing the possible link of alleged attackers of COVID-19 warriors and protestors in the city’s southwest suburb with homegrown Islamic outfits, like the Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD) and the Popular Front of India (PFI).

“As some of the accused in the Padayaranapura incident, in which doctors and Asha healthcare workers were assaulted, admitted to be members of the DFI during questioning, we are trying to find how many of them are linked to the PFI,” Bengaluru Southwest Deputy Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar told IANS, here on Thursday.

Irfan, the alleged mastermind, is said to be a member of the PFI. “Around 20 accused, including Irfan, are still at large. They have been identified. They will be arrested soon and quizzed for their links to the radical groups,” said Kumar.

A 8-member team under Additional Police Commissioner Soumendru Mukherjee and Joint Commissioner Sandeep Patil has been formed to investigate the April 19 violent incident, in which the healthcare workers were attacked and public property damaged.

The healthcare workers were in the area to get secondary contacts of three Covid-19 patients admitted to a quarantine centre. Armed with the new law that allows punishment for attacks on healthcare workers and violent protests during the epidemic, the possible role of outsiders in them is also being investigated. (IANS)

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