HUBBALLI: The Hubballi police on Tuesday detained 10 more people in connection with the incident of throwing stones at the Old Hubballli police station on Saturday in which four policemen were injured. The police shifted 88 others arrested in the case from the Hubballi jail to Kalaburagi prison as they had intelligence reports that there could be more violence to protest against their arrest.
Hubballi remained peaceful on Tuesday three days after the violence erupted over a social media post. The police, however, continued to hunt for those who threw stones at the police personnel and police vehicles, which were parked on the premises of the Old Hubballi Police Station.
Sources said the 88 arrested were shifted to Kalaburagi in four buses under tight police protection. A Hubballi court on Monday remanded them in judicial custody for two weeks. However, a senior police officer said the accused were shifted to Kalaburagi as the capacity of the Hubballi sub-jail is only 500, and the number of those being arrested for the violence is growing by the day.
The police continued to search for a priest who allegedly made a provocative speech after climbing on a police vehicle in front of Old Hubballi Police Station on the day of violence. It is said his speech provoked the mob and it led to the violence. The very next day, he managed to escape from Hubballi and he may have fled to Hyderabad to evade arrest, sources said.
It is alleged that Hubballi-Dharwad City District Congress president Altaf Hallur too climbed the police vehicle along with the priest. But Hallur clarified that he did it only to urge people to maintain peace. Meanwhile, several videos related to the violence are being circulated on social media. Till Tuesday, 12 cases have been registered in connection with the violence.
Meanwhile, family members of the arrested visited the Old Hubballi Police Station to request the police to release their kin. A few of them even showed medical reports saying the arrested had health issues and urged the police to release them.