The police investigation into the violence and stone pelting reported on the night of April 16 in the Old Hubballi area has revealed that the stones were collected from a nearby road repair site.
The crowd that was protesting in front of the police station started picking up stones at the point where road work between Siddharoodha Mutt and New Bus Stand is underway. The police sources informed that the mob collected stones and were not stored in advance.
However the senior cops have refused to divulge any information regarding questioning of the arrested, but said that the accused are undergoing a verification process. "The police have verified before taking the accused into custody. If anybody is innocent will be released," said Hubballi Police Commissioner Labhu Ram, while reacting to the claim of parents of accused who stated that innocents were picked up.
The police sources also said that half of the CCTVs in and around the protest site were not in working condition. "The police could manage to get some 20 plus cameras which are in working conditions. While seven cameras were stolen or damaged, about 20 cameras were not working," informed a police official.
Meanwhile the Hubballi police are on the lookout for a person whose video from the protest site has gone viral. In the video a man is seen standing atop a police vehicle and shouting slogans. The police said the man is yet to be arrested. So far 103 people have been arrested for the violence.