Riots Over Facebook Posts About Prophet Muhammad In Bengaluru, India, Leave Three Dead

Police in India and Facebook representatives said Wednesday they were investigating posts blamed for sparking riots in Bengaluru that left at least three people dead.

Bengaluru, more commonly known as Bangalore in the West, is the capital city for the southern Indian state of Karnataka.

The riots erupted Tuesday after offensive posts about the Muslim Prophet Muhammad appeared online. Around 1,000 members of the city’s Muslim population took to the streets, attacking a police station and a local politician’s home, though the politician has not been identified. Both buildings were set on fire as protesters threw rocks at police deployed to try and pacify the rioters.

“Despite elders of the community trying to pacify the crowd, the mob burned vehicles on the road. They attacked the police station,” Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant told reporters.

Pant said officer tried to use nonlethal and less-lethal means to regain control, but the reported violence continued to escalate.

“The police had no escape and they had to resort to firing and three people died,” Pant said. The three people killed were identified as Muslim men between the ages of 19 and 21. Around 110 people were arrested shortly after on charges of vandalism and assault police officers.

Images and videos of the riots aftermath appeared online, showing the destruction left by Tuesday’s riots. Several businesses seemingly unharmed by the riots remained close as police and emergency crews cleaned up the area the riots took place and continue investigating the damage.

“We are investigating the issue and will make use of the CCTV footage to see who is behind these violent acts, and will take stringent actions,” Karnataka state home minister Basavraj Bommai told reporters.

The post responsible for sparking the riots has since been removed and Facebook said it is investigating the situation. Bengaluru police added it had also arrested the person responsible for the post, identified only as Naveen, and said he is the nephew of the local politician whose home was destroyed in the riots. The suspect told police his phone had been hacked.