Bengaluru riots Bengaluru/IBNS: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday arrested 17 leader-activists of Popular Front of India (PFI)'s political outfit, Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), for their alleged involvement with the Bengaluru riots that took place on Aug 11 at multiple locations under DJ Halli and KG Halli police stations limits in the Karnataka capital, officials said.
According to NIA officials, the SDPI leaders, including Md. Sharieff (Bengaluru district president), Imran Ahmed (KG Halli ward president), Rubah Waqas, Shabbar Khan and Shaik Ajmal, had conducted meetings at Thanissandra and KG Halli wards in Bengaluru in the evening of August 11 wherein they conspired, mobilised and led the crowd gathered at KG Halli Police Station to attack the policemen, causing huge damage to the public and police station vehicles.
Meanwhile, accused SDPI President of Nagwara ward, Abbas, had also mobilised a large crowd at the KG Halli PS through his associates Azil Pasha, Irfan Khan, and Akbar Khan, NIA officials said.
"Investigation also revealed the use of social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp to spread terror and mobilise people from far away places to gather at KG Halli Police Station," a senior NIA official said.
"Accused Saddam, Sayed Sohel, Kaleemulla alias Shahrukh Khan were active social media users who participated in riots as well as instigated others to gather at the police station," the officer added.
NIA officials said that further investigation was going on in both the cases registered in DJ Halli and KG Halli police stations while the national counter-terrorist task force has arrested 187 accused persons, so far, in connection with the riot which was triggered following a Facebook post by Bengaluru's Pulakeshi Nagar's Congress MLA Sh. Akhanda Srinivas Murthy's nephew, Naveen.
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