Clashes erupt in Karnataka town during BJP’s

As Narendra Modi took oath as the Prime Minister in Delhi on Monday, communal violence involving rejoicing BJP supporters and a group of vegetable vendors from a minority community erupted around 2,000 km away in the north Karnataka town of Bijapur.

Led by former Union minister Basavanagouda Patil Yatnal, hundreds of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists were taking out a victory procession, timed to coincide with Modi’s swearing-in. The violence erupted around 7pm when the procession reached LBS vegetable market in the heart of Bijapur, about 520km off Bangalore.

“The BJP workers were applying gulaal (coloured powder) on the faces of the public. Some vegetable vendors objected when the activists tried to smear the gulaal on their faces,” said a police officer who did not want to be named.

“This led to an argument and soon turned into a brawl. A full-fledged riot broke out within five minutes.”

The market was ransacked and at least 15 persons were injured in the violence.

Footage of the violence, aired by local television channels, show it took place right outside the Gandhi Chowk police station in the heart of the town.

“There was too much confusion. I don’t know. The footage needs to be verified,” the officer said, when asked what Yatnal was doing.

In the visuals, heavily outnumbered police personnel are seen standing as spectators even as rioters run amok.