Bengaluru: About 50 prisoners were released on bail from Bellary Central Jail after seven months. Most of these prisoners were daily wage workers living in the slums of DJ Halli and KG Halli in Pulikeshi Nagar.
Initially, the investigation of Bengaluru Violence was carried out by the Bengaluru City Crime Branch and later it was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) by the State Cabinet of the BJP Government. About 74 FIRs were registered by the police in the case, accusing over 450 people and slapped charges under IPC sections. The NIA later submitted a charge sheet accusing 49 under the stringent anti-terror law UAPA whereas the rest were charged under bailable and non-bailable offences.
Talking to ETV Bharat, one of the accused individuals said families suffered in their absence for more than seven months. He said the local Muslim organizations in Bellary came to their help by providing dresses and other essential stuff, however ponited out that they couldn’t enter jail or do more due to COVID restrictions. The accused thanked Adv. Anees Ali Khan and his team for their selfless support in securing bails for them for free.
On the occasion, Advocate Anees Ali Khan told ETV Bharat that all his legal services have been absolutely free. He appealed to all those who have been released to be punctual in attending the hearings on specific dates so as to ensure the cases move on and reach their logical end.
Advocate Anees Ali Khan said that so far about 250 prisoners have been released on bail. He said only those who were facing charges under IPC Sections could be bailed out and released whereas the bail petitions for those who have been charged under UAPA are yet to be moved to the respective court.
Several city-based lawyers have been trying their best in order to secure bails for those accused of violence and Anees Ali Khan is one of them.
It is to be noted that a BJP supporter and relative of the Congress legislature Akhanda Srinivas Murthy P. Naveen had allegedly posted an anti-Islamic blasphemous post on social media causing resentment among Muslims. This enabled several Muslim men to gather at the DJ Halli police station protesting and demanding from the Police for immediate arrest of the accused. This later turned into a large crowd tricking violence at the police station premises and arson of the residence of MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy.
