100 Rupees and Biryani to Set 42 Buses on Fire

It is slowly emerging that there is an invisible hand behind the arson in Bengaluru last week over the Cauvery Water Sharing dispute. One could not forget how 42 buses of a Tamil Nadu-based operator were set on fire in Bengaluru. With the CCTV footage, the police have marked C Bhagya as one of the 11 people who are involved.

[m9ad]

Bhagya is a daily wager and lives with her parents in Girinagar, close to the KPN garage. Her mother has told the media that her daughter was offered Rs 100 and a plate of mutton biryani by “friends” to join the protests. There are other women as well involved in the arson but Bhagya is the only woman arrested among the 400-odd people arrested in connection with the September 12 violence in Bengaluru.

On the other side, Industry body Assocham estimated that in a matter of just two days, the riots and strikes in Bengaluru resulted in economic losses of Rs 25,000 crore. The riots and arson also hit the image of Bengaluru very hard in the investors. Only a strong action on those involved can save its image to some extent.