Massive protest rally conducted in Karnataka's Belagavi over burning of Islamic scriptures

BELAGAVI: Tension gripped Belagavi on Friday evening, with thousands of members of the Muslim community gathering at Rani Channamma Circle to protest the alleged burning of Islamic scriptures-at a mosque in Santibastwad village recently. The community organised a massive protest rally from Channamma Circle to DC's office and submitted a memorandum. Protesters demanded immediate arrest of the culprits who stole the copies of the holy books from an under-construction mosque and burnt them at a farmland nearby.The protest rally, led by Belagavi North MLA Asif Sait, began after prayers at various mosques and dargahs in the city in the afternoon, with people starting to flock to Channamma Circle. Protesters raised slogans and waved flags during the rally. They questioned the efficiency of the police department as it failed to arrest the culprits even after four days. The incident occurred on May 11. During an earlier protest, city police commissioner Iada Martin Marbaniang had promised to arrest the accused within three days, but failed to do so, they said and demanded a thorough investigation and to expose who is behind the incident.Due to the large gathering of protesters, traffic came to a standstill in many areas. Some youths blocked the roads, stating that they wouldn't disperse until the arrest of the culprits. A large number of police personnel were deployed at the protest spot to avoid untoward incidents. City police commissioner imposed Section 144 as a precautionary measure. Despite tension, the protest rally was peaceful.