The fact-finding report involving representatives of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) All India People’s Forum (AIPF) and National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations (NCHRO), has stated that the police action on anti-CAA and NRC protesters in Mangaluru on December 19 in which two persons were killed was ‘premeditated’ and ‘selectively targeted Muslims’.
The interim report by the prominent human rights groups said that the police selectively attacked Muslims, targeted shops belonging to the community and even attacked a mosque, where prayers were going on.
Anti Citizenship Act (CAA) demonstrators across India are carrying out peaceful protests as anger swells against the highly sectarian and anti-Constitutional Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens (NRC). The BJP-ruled Karnataka government had clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 in Mangaluru and other parts of the state, to prevent protests against the act. However, on December 19, hundreds of protestors gathered at various parts of Mangaluru defying the ban to protest against CAA.
Videos from the protests area showed police personnel firing at the protestors and using tear gas and brute force to disperse the crowd. Two people, Jaleel Kudroli (42) and Nausheen Bengre (23) were killed in the police firing.
Premeditated Action
Photo: PTI
The fact-finding report claims that a day before the incident, the police preparations went to the extent of arranging sandbags and riot gear at the location including the deployment of external KSRP forces in the vicinity of various places, which suggests that the police action was premeditated. Cumulatively, there were not more than 200-300 protesters who had taken to the streets, which goes against police claims that thousands of people had hit the streets.
The team, which had based its findings on field visits, interactions with eyewitnesses, people being treated in hospitals, family members of people who died in the firing and the video footage, and officials, said that initially there were not more than 150 youths who protested by only shouting slogans but were dispersed by the police, using disproportionate violence.
According to the report, the protesters were violently thrashed, kicked, pushed around and abused before being thrown into police vans without any provocation in a premeditated manner.
It appears there was confusion among the youth about whether or not the protest announced for that day had been cancelled, as the message of cancellation issued after the imposition Section 144 had not circulated to all. Thereafter, the report says the police went on a rampage and stormed into shops in the vicinity, pulling out people, selectively attacking Muslims.
At around 4 pm, the police attacked Ibrahim Khaleel mosque where about 80 persons were praying peacefully. The police apparently sought to chase certain youth into the said mosque and then initiated an indiscriminate attack upon the mosque. The police launched an attack of stones and teargas through and above the slats of the mosque gate, causing havoc and confusion.
The violent attack against protestors, targeting of Muslim shops and the attack on the mosque and the worshippers inside it, infuriated the youth, leading to bands of protesters gathering at corners and intermittently pelting stones.
Further, the report says that the leaders of the community were brought in by the police to calm the situation down. In fact, they were succeeding in doing so when one leader Ashraf, the former Mayor of Mangaluru was injured on the head by the police. This aggravated the situation.
Killing Of Jaleel Kudroli And Nausheen Bengre
At this point, the police began indiscriminate firing of guns and teargas. Two innocent bystanders were killed during this firing, both of which took place on Azizuddin Road, where the Mangaluru North Police Station is located.
One of them was 42-year-old, Jaleel Kudroli. Jaleel, a father of two and daily wage earner on the docks, had stepped out of his house to offer Namaz. There was no mob present, yet tear gas and bullets were being fired into the road, one of which hit Jaleel in the head. In another incident, on another end of Azizuddin Road, 23-year old Nausheen Bengre who was attempting to return home from the workshop he was working at, fell prey to the firing when a bullet hit him in his midriff.
The fact-finding team’s report goes against police claims that both Jaleel and Nausheen were part of the protest.
Attack On Highland Hospital
After Jaleel and Nausheen were declared dead on arrival by the city’s Highland Hospital, the police were called so that the bodies could be handed over to them as these were Medico-Legal Cases (MLC). The police upon arrival at the hospital was faced by an angry group of mourners, who pelted stones at the police outside the hospital. The police engaged in lathi-charge outside the hospital. They did not stop there. The police then fired tear gas within the hospital compound and proceeded to storm the hospital. They tried to barge into patient rooms including the ICU. At least three patients who were admitted there prior to December 19th were adversely affected due to this. The health of 2 patients who were admitted with respiratory issues deteriorated and had to be shifted to the ICU and one of them was put on a ventilator. Both these patients who would have otherwise been discharged within 2-3 days now have to stay in the hospital for 2 weeks.
The fact-finding team, quoted Dr. Rajeshwari Devi, District Medical Officer at Wenlock Hospital, who said that on 19th December, 66 people were treated in the OPD of which 26 were civilians and 42 were police persons.
Apparently, there were conscious attempts on the part of the police to make it appear that the number of policemen injured by the alleged stone-pelting by the mob outnumbered civilians who suffered injuries from violence by police. The cases of police treated in Wenlock were mostly related to bruises, lacerations, contusions and swelling. There were two cases of bullet injuries in which one of the victims admitted took discharge immediately. There are several instances of victims who the fact-finding team met who have not gone to Wenlock or other big hospitals for fear of being falsely implicated by the police.
YJ Rajendra, PULC state president, said the fact that the police mentioning the religion of riot-accused as ‘Muslims’ in an open FIR again proves beyond doubt that the police acted with prejudices against the community. “If the police claim that they opened fire as the protestors tried to torch the police station is true, then CCTV images in the police station should be made public,” he demanded.
On police creating havoc in ICU of the private hospital, Rajendra said hospitals are not targetted even during wars.
The fact-finding team urged the State government to conduct a judicial inquiry into the violence and police firing. Alleging that the open FIRs lodged against protestors as ‘fabricated’, the team has demanded that they are closed.
The report has demanded that Police Commissioner P.S. Harsha and Police Inspector Shantarama Kunder, who was seen making a controversial remark in a video which went viral, should be suspended for the police firing. The government should release the compensation of ₹10 lakh each to the families to two persons who died in police firing. The government should also bear the treatment cost of the injured, the fact-finding report has demanded.
