New Delhi: The mastermind of the recent stone-pelting incident in Hubli has been arrested on Thursday, police said.
According to a report by news agency PTI, Waseem Pathan, a cleric, who has been allegedly associated with the recent violence reported in the city over an alleged social media post hurting the sentiments of a community, was picked up from Mumbai, where he was hiding, on Wednesday night and brought to Karnataka on Thursday morning, police sources said.
A video surfaced on social media platforms on Saturday which shows Pathan standing on a police official's jeep and addressing a crowd of people outside the old Hubli police station to protest against the alleged post, showing a saffron flag planted on a mosque.
After the speech, the mob went on a rampage damaging several police vehicles and also hurled stones at a nearby hospital and temple.
After the police named Waseem in the FIR, the cleric went into hiding and released a video on social media claiming that he was innocent.
So far, special teams of police have arrested 126 persons after violence erupted in Hubli on Saturday late night after the objectionable post was shared on social media.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka blamed the Congress party for the violence in the Karnataka commercial hub.
“Congress is clearly involved in all the riots right from KG Halli, DJ Halli in Bengaluru and Hubballi Old Town so as to bring bad name to the BJP and also to destroy communal harmony. This is Congress party's attempt to create unrest,” news agency PTI quoted R Ashoka as saying.
He also alleged that the Congress party’s Hubli district president Altaf Hallur was on the spot and was among those instigating the mob.
According to Hubli Police, Waseem is likely to be produced to court later on Thursday.