MANDYA: While ministers in the state are going great lengths to describe the Nagamangala violence as accidental and unintentional, CCTV footage has revealed that the arson was deliberate and perhaps pre-planned.
In one of the videos, a group of men can be seen throwing petrol at a shop and then setting it on fire. One of them later threw a petrol bomb, leading to the blaze spreading. Then, they also damaged a CCTV camera so that their identities are not revealed.
Police were in the area, but did nothing to stop the arson and violence, locals say. On Tuesday, a video was doing the rounds on social media from the night of the violence where locals were pleading with the police to protect a shop saying that the owner had recently invested Rs 30 lakh, but the police personnel did not move. Sounds of stone-pelting can be heard in the background.
In the video, a man is heard pleading with the policemen, “Sir, you are so many in number, please go and save the properties”, but the police personnel did not take any action claiming that they did not have any orders from their higher-ups.