3 Bengaluru Riots Case Convicts Jailed In Huge Win For Anti-Terror Agency

In a major development in the 2020 Bengaluru riots case, a special NIA court has sentenced three accused to seven years of rigorous imprisonment after they pleaded guilty during the charge-framing stage. The convictions mark a significant win for the National Investigation Agency, which has been investigating the larger conspiracy behind such violent incidents.

The convicted men Syed Ikramuddin alias Syed Naveed (44), Syed Asif (46), and Mohammed Atif (26) were charged under many sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Karnataka Prevention of Destruction and Loss of Property Act (KPDLP), and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The case pertains to a violent mob attack on August 11, 2020, which targeted the houses of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy and police stations in KG Halli and DJ Halli. The violence followed a provocative Facebook post allegedly made by the MLA's nephew. The riots left three people dead in police firing and caused widespread destruction and panic in the area.

Conspiracy Linked to Banned PFI

The NIA earlier established links between the accused and the banned outfit Popular Front of India, along with its political wing SDPI. The agency had laid out how PFI members orchestrated the violence in a bid to incite communal unrest and attack the state machinery. These findings were key in the Union Home Ministry's decision to ban the PFI in 2022.

"The police are charged with the duty of maintaining law and order as well as public order. When such custodians of law and order and public order are attacked, the confidence of the public in the efficiency of police is likely to be shaken and thereby public order is likely to be disturbed," said special public prosecutor for NIA in Bengaluru, P Prasanna Kumar.

"We the people feel secure when we have a robust police force. By the act of the accused in torching KG Halli police station, the confidence of the people at large and their sense of security was shaken. The judgment has not only secured the confidence of the public at large in the police force but also has vindicated the action of the central government in declaring PFI (Popular Front of India) as an unlawful association," he said.