With inflammatory graffiti popping up on city walls over the past three days, Mangaluru Police Commissioner Vikash Kumar Vikash on Sunday appealed to the public to share any information about those responsible for the malicious messaging.
A statement released by the police said that the police had already lodged a complaint in connection with the graffiti and were investigating the matter.
“All we need is inputs from the public, if anyone has any information about these miscreants. The police will keep their identities protected,” it said, adding that the any information can be share over phone numbers 480802304/9480802305 and 0824-2220800.
Earlier in the day, taking strong exception to “graffiti campaign” that have been appearing in the city for the last three days, former Karnataka minister and Mangaluru Congress MLA, U.T. Khader appealed to the police to act before it was too late.
Speaking to reporters in Mangaluru, Khader charged that the Mangaluru police had failed miserably in protecting its people. “Where is intelligence? What is the city police doing when miscreants are going on writing on city walls trying to disrupt communal harmony?,” he asked and cautioned the police if they failed to act in week’s time, then he will be forced to launch Mangaluru-wide protests.
Training his guns on the ruling BJP, the Mangaluru MLA wanted to know why only such communal messages crop up whenever BJP comes to power in the state. “I want to know why this happens in our region when BJP comes to power,” he said.
Early on Friday, a graffiti appeared on a Mangaluru city wall, reading: “Do not instigate us to invite Lashkar-E-Toyaba or Talibanis to deal with Sanghis and Manuvadis, Lashkar-E-Taoyaba Zindabad!”
In response to this, a graffiti message on Saturday stated that the Sangh Parivar “is ready to take on anyone”.
On Sunday, another graffiti message in Urdu but written in English script warned that if anyone insults the Prophet, such person will be beheaded (“Gustak-E-Rasool, ek hi saja, sar dhad se alag”).
The state’s coastal region is considered to be highly communally sensitive. Even in the past, such mischievous messaging have led to communal disturbances.Mangaluru, IANS
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