SHIVAMOGGA: Violence broke out in the communally-sensitive
Shivamogga
city of
Karnataka on Tuesday as youths clashed with each other and pelted stones at protestors during the agitation against Muslim girls wearing hijab in educational institutions.
The Shivamogga district police moved in swiftly and clamped prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC in the city for two days.
During the protests, a youth hoisted a saffron flag atop an empty flag post at the First Grade grounds at
Bapuji Nagar
.
As tension gripped the Malnad city, commercial establishments closed in the afternoon itself while a holiday is expected to be declared to schools and colleges on Wednesday.
Following the protest by youths wearing saffron scarves at the
Sahyadri College
grounds on Monday, some Muslim organisations had called for a dharna at the
Science College
grounds on Tuesday morning. Trouble started when youths opposing hijab tried to enter the Science College grounds. As the tension escalated, the city witnessed stone pelting at various places.
The Science College grounds became the battleground for the two factions. Accusing the police of manhandling them, Muslim women and girls started a march toward the DC office which is located 3km away from the Science College grounds. They were stopped at
DVS College
junction as youths protesting hijab were staging dharna at DC office junction.
Stones were pelted on the protestors at DVS College junction even as SP BM Laxmi Prasad rushed to the spot and asked the protestors to disperse. As anti-hijab protestors tried to enter the DVS College junction, the police used force and lathi-charged them.
As the protests at many places in the city threatened law and order, the police clamped the prohibitory order even as the commercial establishments voluntarily downed shutters.
Meanwhile, miscreants pelted stones on buses at
Shikaripura
, which is represented by former CM
BS Yediyurappa.