The deaths of two persons in the firing by Mangaluru police during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will now be probed by the CID. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had earlier assured that there will be a CID inquiry into the police firing that killed two people in the anti-CAA stir in Mangaluru.
Karnataka CM @BSYBJP has said the CID will probe the death of two men as a result of police firing in Mangaluru #CAA_NRC_Protest . Family members of the deceased had asked for a judicial inquiry into the killings. pic.twitter.com/eyU1q0Zx0s
— Soumya Chatterjee (@Csoumya21) December 23, 2019
A CMO official told TNM that a government order is yet to be issued and will be likely ready by end of the day on Monday. The announcement from the CM comes even as the opposition Congress and the family members of the two deceased men have demanded a judicial inquiry into the killings.
Abdul Jaleel (49) and Nouseen Yane (23) were the two men who succumbed to bullet injuries after police opened fire to disperse protesters. At least nine others had suffered injuries.
On Thursday last week, after the protests against CAA were clamped down by police through lathi charge and tear gas, a series of stone-pelting incidents erupted near Mangaluru North (Bunder) police station at 4.30 pm. Police alleged that protesters resorted to burning tyres and other scrap material on the road and converged on Mangaluru North (Bunder) Police Station from three sides.
At this point, police began firing at the protesters to deter them, they claim.
Abdul and Nouseen were daily-wage labourers in Mangaluru. Abdul worked odd jobs related to fishing in Dhakke, a popular fish market in the city. Nouseen was involved in welding works.
Though the police claim that they shot into the crowd for their own safety, multiple videos that have emerged question the police's version. One video shows police shooting at a crowd that is standing quite far. In another video, policemen are heard telling each other saying, 'not one person has died'.
On Sunday, it was reported that the two killed were named as accused number 3 and accused number 8 in the FIR registered under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code and Karnataka Prevention of Destruction and Loss of Property Act. Though a private hospital in Mangaluru confirmed that both of them were brought dead, and Jaleel according to multiple witnesses was only waiting for his children to come back from tuition, the FIR alleging rioting has been filed by the police.