Three minors detained for pelting stones at devotees in Bengaluru | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: Three boys have been detained in connection with the stone-pelting incident in which Om Shakti devotees were targeted while taking out a procession at VS Garden, in JJ Nagar area, Sunday night.A 20-year-old woman — Harika — suffered a head injury, prompting devotees to stage a protest demanding action against the miscreants. Based on preliminary investigation, DCP (west) Yatish N said their probe found that the three minor boys pelted stones at the devotees. Further investigation is on to find out if others were involved in the incident.A senior officer said two of the juvenile boys are 13 years old and study in class 7. The other boy, 14, dropped out of school and worked in a garage as a labourer. An FIR was registered at JJ Nagar police station under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 118 (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 196(2) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc.), based on a complaint filed by Shashi Kumar N, 43, a resident of VS Garden.Shashi, in his complaint, told police the devotees were on a procession to offer prayers for the “grama devetas”. When they were near Panchamukhi Nagatevatha temple around 8.15pm, a group of three or four boys pelted stones at the devotees. A senior officer said there were around 20 devotees at the time. Shashi spread the news to others on WhatsApp, and soon 300-400 people from JJ Nagar, Chamarajpet, Vijayanagar, and surrounding areas reached VS Garden and staged a protest.Apart from deploying additional forces, cops also initiated talks with local leaders to prevent escalation of tensions. The angry crowd dispersed around midnight. On Monday morning, the devotees again gathered in front of JJ Nagar police station and demanded action.Another senior officer said the three juveniles have been produced before the Juvenile Justice Board. The boys are said to have told police that they were loitering in the area when the devotees, who were part of the procession, ordered them to leave the place till the procession was over. “It provoked them to pelt stones,” an officer explained.Home minister G Parameshwara appealed to the public to maintain peace. Minister and MLA of Chamarajpet constituency, BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, visited the area.