Nearly four years after Bengaluru witnessed one of its worst incidents of mob violence in recent times, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court has delivered a strong message by awarding rigorous punishment to three accused in the infamous DJ Halli–KG Halli riots case.
On July 23, the NIA Special Court sentenced Syed Ikramuddin alias Naveed (A-14), Syed Asif (A-16), and Mohammad Atif (A-18) to seven years of rigorous imprisonment each. It imposed a fine of Rs 46,000 on each of them. All three had pleaded guilty to charges linked to rioting, arson and conspiracy under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code.
The trio were part of a larger mob that unleashed violence on August 11, 2020, following a provocative social media post allegedly made by Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy’s nephew, which was perceived as insulting Prophet Muhammad. The outrage escalated into a full-scale riot, targeting the houses of the MLA and torching the KG Halli and DJ Halli police stations. The police opened fire to control the mob, resulting in the deaths of three people, while extensive property damage and panic gripped the area for days.
NIA links accused to banned PFI
The NIA’s investigation uncovered that the riots were not just spontaneous but planned and instigated by members of the Popular Front of India (PFI), now a banned outfit, and its political wing, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). The agency highlighted how the PFI orchestrated the unrest to incite communal tensions and directly challenge state authority. The central government later cited such evidence while outlawing the PFI in 2022.
Special Public Prosecutor P Prasanna Kumar, representing the NIA, stressed the broader significance of the conviction. “When protectors of law and order are attacked, people’s trust in the police force takes a hit, which can disturb public order. By torching a police station, the accused not only attacked state property but shook people’s sense of security,” he said.
He added that the conviction reaffirmed the Centre’s decision to ban the PFI. “This verdict strengthens public confidence in law enforcement and validates the government’s action of declaring the PFI an unlawful association,” Kumar stated.
Court rejects discharge plea
The accused had earlier attempted to escape trial by seeking discharge, arguing that the allegations against them were unsubstantiated. However, the NIA successfully countered this, with the trial court dismissing the discharge plea and observing that sufficient grounds existed to proceed under the stringent UAPA. Attempts to challenge this order through a writ petition were also rejected as the court insisted that a criminal appeal should have been filed instead.
The 2020 DJ Halli–KG Halli riots are still remembered for the unprecedented violence that turned neighbourhoods into conflict zones overnight. Alongside attacks on the MLA’s home, police stations became prime targets, a deliberate attempt, according to investigators, to weaken the morale of law enforcement.
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