Days after communal tensions, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah announces special unit to curb anti-social elements in coastal districts

In the wake of the recent communal tensions in coastal districts of Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Sunday said the state government would soon set up a special police wing for the detection of anti-social elements behind communal instigation.

“To detect and curb anti-social elements (responsible for communal tension), one special wing is required. I will talk to the home minister and take action for the same,” he told reporters at Hanagal.

Communal tension had gripped the coastal city of Mangaluru due to the mob lynching of one Ashraf, a Muslim migrant labourer from Kerala, followed by the murder of rowdy-sheeter Suhas Shetty, an accused in the 2022 murder of Mohammed Fazil, which had also sparked communal tensions. The murder of Shetty was followed by two stabbing incidents, even as the coastal districts limped back to normalcy.