Four days after the protest foreign nationals from African countries went violent, Bengaluru Commissioner of Police Kamal Pant told TNM that two separate cases have been booked against the protesters for attacking police personnel including a woman Sub Inspector and a minor boy. The accused have been arrested and sent to judicial custody, Pant confirmed. “Five Congolese have been arrested. Four to five of the policemen were injured, have received treatment and are fine now,” the Commissioner added.
Meanwhile, no case has been registered against any police personnel for the use of force against the protesters. “No complaint has been filed with regard to the same and we are not doing any inquiry to look into it. No suo moto case has been registered either,” Pant told TNM when asked what action has been taken against policemen seen in videos and photographs that were circulated on Friday which showed the police using lathis against the protesters. One video showed five policemen beating up one of the protesters even as he was bleeding from his head.
On August 2, over 20 protesters gathered in front of the JC Nagar police station after a Congolese national, Joel Malu who was in police custody, died of a cardiac arrest. The 27-year-old deceased was arrested by the JC Nagar police on Sunday night and was declared dead while in police custody. He reportedly died of a cardiac arrest around 6:45 am on Monday after he was admitted to a private hospital.
Kamal Pant told TNM that the Bengaluru police sought the help of the heads of African students’ associations to negotiate with the protesters. He said that the police tried to convince the protesters for over three hours to disperse. He denied any accusation of the police exceeding their brief.
On August 3, officials from the embassy of the Democratic Republic of Congo in Delhi arrived in Bengaluru and held meetings with police officials. Kamal Pant told TNM that the officials thanked the police after gathering all details about the incident. “The Congolese Councillor had come to meet us and he held discussions with us. He has appreciated that the police have been reasonable with them and also thanked us,” Kamal Pant said.
The CID is probing the alleged custodial death of Joel Malu in JC Nagar police station in Bengaluru. “Inquest has been conducted by a judicial magistrate and the autopsy has been conducted by a team of doctors and has been videotaped,” Kamal Pant said on the latest updates on the investigation.
The CID team has questioned and recorded the statements of the police personnel attached with the JC Nagar police station.