Bangalore: After violence broke out in Kaval Byrasandra on Tuesday over a social media post, mother of prime instigator Naveen said that she was alive only because local Muslim youth saved her. Jayanti, sister of Pulakesinagar MLA Akhad Srinivasa Murthy, said that a group of youth escorted her out of the building, minutes before it was set on fire.
The commotion began around 8 pm, but Jayanti had believed that it was not related to them. “The situation worsened as time passed and there was no way I could flee with hundreds of men on the streets burning vehicles,” she said.
“Around 10 pm, a group of five men told me I had to leave. By then, a mob had already entered our compound. A person in that mob questioned the group of men who were escorting me to the next building. I was literally carried to the next building and in less than a minute, our house was set on fire,” Jayanti said, visibly shaken.
The violence erupted after Naveen posted derogatory content on his social media that enraged a group in the Muslim community, who later turned to attack the MLA and his supporters’ residences in the night.
Another group of Muslim men also formed a human chain to protect a neighborhood temple in RT Nagar, closer to MLA’s home. The video of the same went viral on social media.