The faces behind the Apthamitra helpline for COVID-19 in Karnataka

Coronavirus

There is an invisible workforce that listens to difficult stories of people affected by the pandemic — they are the medical students and integrated doctors who counsel thousands daily.

Vinay BS

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After a successful show, artists often extensively credit the backstage workers. After a super hungry person’s supper arrives, heartfelt thanks to the delivery boy – who rode through virus-ridden streets – happens naturally. Similarly, amid rising COVID-19 cases in Karnataka, there is an invisible workforce that listens to the sad and difficult stories of people affected by the pandemic to console and guide them. They are the medical students and the integrated doctors who counsel thousands daily, via the toll-free Apthamitra helpline of Karnataka. They filter out people by talking to them over phone and send them to the ones working in the frontline – in case someone tests positive for the new virus, while many of the potentially mild COVID-19 cases get treated by the helpline. The Apthamitra mobile app is designed under the aegis of National Association of Software and Service Companies. Infosys BPM and Hinduja Global Solutions are among others who helped. It was launched on April 22, with an exclusive toll-free helpline number, 14410. The AYUSH department manages it, while being run by the Health and Family Welfare Department and Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA). Those who experience COVID-19 symptoms usually call this helpline. But as cases rose, those testing positive has been calling the helpline – hoping that they might get help – as they have nowhere else to go due to delayed ambulances, while hospitals reject them. Mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients below 50 are forced to stay home and receive treatments due to the sheer magnitude of cases in Bengaluru. As of July 23, the city had over 29,000 active cases. Exactly a month back, as of June 23, there were only 1512 cases. Karnataka's death toll surpassed 3000 as of August 8. The commissioner of AYUSH, Meenakshi Negi, who is also the nodal officer for the helpline said, “People call the helpline with all their anxiousness. In addition to prescribing them OTC [Over The Counter] medications, the helpline also calls the vulnerable people.” “We have called almost 25 lakh vulnerable people twice, using the data from the state’s door to door survey.” “A lady from a family of four from Bengaluru’s Srirampuram calls me and asks me to help them arrange for a bed in any hospital, all four were tested positive in the family,” describes Dr Hema BN, an Apthamitra counsellor based in the city. When asked why they needed only one bed if all of them tested positive. The lady replied, “No neighbours are here to help. We can manage somehow, but my elderly mother cannot without food, please arrange a bed.” One more person called Dr Hema. His wife had died of COVID-19 and his three children - all aged below 10 - tested positive for COVID-19. “He cries calling me” says Dr Hema. Such is the condition of families exposed to the deadly pathogen. These stories are heard by doctors across Karnataka, and they have much more stories in count than what media shows us daily. Dr Sudesh Shetty, another Apthamitra counsellor, practising at a clinic in the city’s Nagappa Street said, “Some stories we hear are so devastating that we end up wiping tears from our eyes.” The number of people calling the helpline has also spiked in par with the rise in cases. In other words, as caseload increase, more sad stories are heard to be consoled and guided. Dr Shetty describes a case where a lady had called the helpline, “Her husband died due to COVID-19 and in less than 12 hours she and her two small children tested positive for the virus with all the symptoms. They did not get an ambulance and also the bed. Somehow, we managed to solve this problem.” The main reason for this is the lack of health infrastructure. The number of discharges per day is not more than or equal to the new cases seen on that day, leading to running out of beds. Dr Shetty said that in some cases, “We feel very helpless.” When receiving calls from remote parts of Karnataka, doctors based in other regions feel helpless as difficult situations arise in helping someone. Who are these integrated doctors? An integrated medicine course that covered both Ayurvedic and Allopathic studies - 5.5 years of BAMS and 2 years of Allopathic studies - was started in 1977. This course ended in the mid-1990s. Those who graduated the course are known as integrated doctors and can be licensed for practising both Ayurveda and Allopathy, according to Karnataka Registered Integrated Medical Practitioners Association (KRIMPA), formed by professionals to mark their identity as integrated doctors, said Dr Shetty, who is also the association’s joint secretary. There are about 2500 integrated doctors in KRIMPA. It is more than 25 years since the integrated course ended, while all those who graduated the course are now aged at least more than 50 years, with a lot of experience in hand. These doctors are the ones who attend to the Aptamithra helpline. They get calls from all over Karnataka. The process The helpline follows a two-tier system. In the first tier, UG and PG medical students from Ayush, Nursing and Pharma courses will pick the call to record the symptoms and travel history of the patients, which is forwarded to the second tier consisting of integrated doctors where they counsel callers by issuing telemedicine or refer them for testing and treatment via the Apthamitra app, based on the case. The callers will also get a prescription by an SMS to get the OTC medicines. These doctors also identify potential carriers of coronavirus to send them to fever clinics or request an ambulance based on the severity of symptoms. Contact tracing will also take place here. Once someone tests positive for the novel coronavirus, then their connection with the telemedicine doctors seize and is taken over by the ones who treat them, in person – the frontline health workers. Speaking about telemedicine, Dr Shetty said that they are allowed to prescribe medications listed in the Apthamitra app for symptomatic treatment. Paracetamol, cetirizine, chlorpheniramine maleate, oral rehydration salt sachets, magnesium trisilicate, domperidone, vitamin-C and B-complex are prescribed as per the necessity of the case. “We also follow up on all the cases until they get fully cured of their problems, and to confirm if they are quarantined well” he added. Some who might have had mild COVID-19, but not tested for it also get assistance with the helpline’s support, he added. Trend shift About 70 to 120 doctors actively work with the helpline, connected to each other via WhatsApp group. Each attend up to 80 calls per day as of now, says Meenakshi, while the helpline works from 8 am to 9 pm with two shifts. The doctors get paid per shift. In other words, these doctors attend to more than 7000 people per day. “During the lockdowns, we received from ten to 12 thousand calls per day,” said Meenakshi. It has been more than a fortnight over three months since the helpline started and it has catered to not less than 7.5 lakh people until now, she said. The Government is planning to recruit more such doctors owing to the case load. However, it is doubtful if their returns are in accordance with their efforts, according to sources. There is a shift in trend after the lockdown eased up, as observed by Dr Shetty. Among all the callers in a day, hardly one person would test positive for the coronavirus until May end, even though more of them were suspected by doctors. But after the lockdown was lifted, every suspected person was tested positive, eventually. “As more people started calling helpline due to the lack of ambulances and beds, the problems of our health infrastructure were also reflected in the quality of calls we were receiving,” said Dr Hema. However, Meenakshi said that the load on hospitals decreases as potential mild cases also get treated by the helpline. Spirited doctors When asked if they were able to emotionally cope up advising people after listening to their sad stories. “We feel disturbed at some stories, but it is our duty to console them, by giving them knowledge along with prescribing them medications,” Dr Hema said. Dr Shetty said he felt content when patients requested for the doctors’ personal numbers for the emotional support these troubled souls received. However, rules bar them from doing so. Most of these doctors have their own clinics, but as a higher necessity called, they have stopped going to their own clinics, he added. Dr NS Krisnamurthy, 58, another telemedicine doctor practicing at a clinic in Chamarajpet was not spared by the novel coronavirus. He and his wife contracted COVID-19 and underwent treatment. They have just recovered from the infection. He said, “After my home quarantine ends I will rejoin the helpline to serve those in need.” Medical Service Centre, an all India organisation, consisting of health personnel with the objective of service, dedication and mobility has appreciated the work of Apthamitra helpline's doctors. Its state secretary, Dr Vasudhendra, an ophthalmologist based in Davanagere said, “In the face of falling public health infrastructure and private sector profiteering, we should recognise the work of these integrated doctors and students helping them, in addition to the frontline health workers.”

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Bengaluru Peripheral Ring Road: Citizens group seeks fresh proposal for project

Civic

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board has called for a public hearing on the project on August 18.

TNM Staff

Representational image/PTI

The Citizens for Bengaluru (CfB) has written to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to scrap the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) project, claiming that it was no longer legally valid. They have asked for a fresh scheme, which includes a new proposal, feasibility studies, alternatives and fresh budget approvals and public hearings, from authorities. Incidentally, the KSPCB is also holding a public consultation meeting on August 18 for the 65-km 8-lane roadways project connecting Tumakuru Road with Hosur Road, based on the same EIA report.  CfB is a pan-city activist group, which was at the centre of ‘Steel Flyover Beda’ protests in 2016 and has been advocating measures to preserve and protect the green cover of the city. The PRR project is facing stiff opposition from a section of Bengalureans as it proposed to fell 33,838 trees including those in forest areas and affect many water bodies, as per the EIA made public recently.  In their letter to KSPCB Chairman Vijaykumar Gogi, CfB said that the EIA and the public consultation should be scrapped as it was in violation of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act. Stating that the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) had changed its initial alignment, CfB argued that this technically will need fresh proposals and approval, citing Section 14(A) of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act..  In their letter, CfB said, “The BDA changed the alignment of the Peripheral Ring Road, hence rendering it a new project as per Karnataka Town & Country Planning Act. This voids the current EIA and calls not just for a fresh EIA but a new development proposal (scheme) to be drafted, including wide ranging public hearings, feasibility studies, alternatives and fresh budget approvals from the Government of Karnataka. It is at that stage that a new EIA is to be drafted, as per the Karnataka Town & Country Planning Act, Section 14(A).” It added, “The utility of public projects must be determined as specified by law, through the course of due process with its concomitant safeguards, and issues affecting the people of Bengaluru resolved before commencement. The current EIA is null and void and cannot be used to evaluate the new project.”  In addition to this, as earlier opposed by other citizen groups, CfB has questioned the KSPCB for calling for a public hearing on the project on August 18, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. They said, “The Government of Karnataka asking the public to congregate for a hearing on such a crucial project is downright unsafe and irresponsible. In fact, it is a violation of the Disaster Management Act which forbids the arrangement of congregations.” 

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Air pollution could be making honey bees sick, Bengaluru study finds

Environment

Researchers studied how giant Asian honey bees fared in Bengaluru, where air pollution records have been reported as some of the highest in the country.

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Whether it’s exhaust fumes from cars or smoke from power plants, air pollution is an often invisible threat that is a leading cause of death worldwide. Breathing air laced with heavy metals, nitrogen oxides and fine particulate matter has been linked to a range of chronic health conditions, including lung problems, heart disease, stroke and cancer. If air pollution can harm human health in so many different ways, it makes sense that other animals suffer from it too. Airborne pollutants affect all kinds of life, even insects. In highly polluted areas of Serbia, for instance, researchers found pollutants lingering on the bodies of European honeybees. Car exhaust fumes are known to interrupt the scent cues that attract and guide bees towards flowers, while also interfering with their ability to remember scents. Now, a new study from India has revealed how air pollution may be depleting the health of honey bees in the wild. These effects may not kill bees outright. But like humans repeatedly going to work under heavy stress or while feeling unwell, the researchers found that air pollution made bees sluggish in their daily activities and could be shortening their lives. Unhealthy bees in Bengaluru India is one of the world’s largest producers of fruit and vegetables. Essential to that success are pollinator species like the giant Asian honey bee. Unlike the managed European honey bee, these bees are predominantly wild and regularly resist humans and other animals eager to harvest their honey. Colonies can migrate over hundreds of kilometres within a year, pollinating a vast range of wild plants and crops across India. Researchers studied how this species was faring in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru, where air pollution records have been reported as some of the highest in the country. The giant Asian honey bees were observed and collected across four sites in the city over three years. Each had different standards of air pollution. The number of bees visiting flowers was significantly lower in the most polluted sites, possibly reducing how much plants in these places were pollinated. Bees from these sites died faster after capture, and, like houses in a dirty city, were partly covered in traces of arsenic and lead. They had arrhythmic heartbeats, fewer immune cells, and were more likely to show signs of stress. There are some caveats to consider, though. For one thing, areas with high pollution might have had fewer flowering plants, meaning bees were less likely to seek them out. Also, the researchers looked at the health of honey bees in parts of the city purely based on different levels of measured pollution. They couldn’t isolate the effect of the pollution with absolute certainty – there may have been hidden factors behind the unhealthy bees they uncovered. But, crucially, it wasn’t just bees that showed this trend. In a follow-up experiment, the study’s authors placed cages of fruit flies at the same sites. Just like the bees, the flies became coated in pollutants, died quicker where there was more air pollution, and showed higher levels of stress. The threat posed by pesticides is well known. But if air pollution is also affecting the health of a range of pollinating insects, what does that mean for ecosystems and food production? Fewer cars, more flowers Our diets would be severely limited if insects like honey bees were impaired in their pollinating duties, but the threat to entire ecosystems of losing these species is even more grave. Crop plants account for less than 0.1% of all flowering species, yet 85% of flowering plants are pollinated by bees and other species. Giant Asian honey bees like the ones in Bengaluru form large, aggressive colonies that can move between urban, farmed and forest habitats. These journeys expose them to very different levels of pollution, but the colonies of most other types of wild bee species are stationary. They nest in soil, undergrowth or masonry, and individuals travel relatively short distances. The levels of pollution they’re regularly exposed to are unlikely to change very much from one day to the next, and it’s these species that are likely to suffer most if they live in towns or cities where local pollution is high. Thankfully, there are ways to fix this problem. Replacing cars with clean alternatives like electrified public transport would go a long way to reducing pollution. Creating more urban green spaces with lots of trees and other plants would help filter the air too, while providing new food sources and habitat for bees. In many parts of the UK, roadside verges have been converted to wildflower meadows in recent years. In doing so, are local authorities inadvertently attracting bees to areas we know may be harmful? We don’t know, but it’s worth pondering. From September 2020, Coventry University is launching a citizen science project with the nation’s beekeepers to map the presence of fine particulate matter in the air around colonies, to begin to unravel what’s happening to honey bees in the UK. Air pollution is likely to be one part of a complex problem. Bees are sensitive to lots of toxins, but how these interact in the wild is fiendishly difficult to disentangle. We know cocktails of pesticides can cause real damage too. But what happens when bees are exposed to these at the same time as air pollution? We don’t yet know, but answers are urgently needed. This article first appeared on The Conversation and can be found here.

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Siddaramaiah recovers from COVID-19, discharged from Manipal Hospital

Coronavirus

Siddaramaiah was admitted to the hospital on August 4 after he developed a fever.

TNM Staff

Former Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah, was discharged from Manipal Hospital on Thursday after recovering from COVID-19. Siddaramaiah’s nose and swab samples were collected and the test results showed he was negative on Wednesday.  Siddaramaiah was admitted to Manipal Hospital on Old Airport Road on August 4 after he showed symptoms of COVID-19, including fever. An antigen test was conducted, which showed he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection.  “Shri Siddaramaiah has been under the supervision of our expert team of doctors and has responded very well to the treatment. We are delighted to state that he is being discharged this evening in accordance with the guidelines,” said Dr Sudarshan Balla, Chairman of Manipal Hospitals, in a statement. Photographs from the time of his discharge showed the former Karnataka CM smiling and waving at the hospital staff who had gathered to send him off after his recovery. In another photograph, Siddaramaiah was seen handing over a bouquet of flowers and thanking the doctor who treated him at The Manipal Hospital.  Siddaramaiah’s vitals were stable at the time of discharge and he was asymptomatic. He has been asked to remain in quarantine at home. After he tested positive, Siddaramaiah’s residence in Mysuru was sanitised and sealed. Around 50 journalists, who had attended a press conference just a few days before he tested positive were asked to go into home quarantine. Earlier, on Monday, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa was discharged from Manipal Hospital. The CM too had tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection around the same time Siddaramaiah tested positive. Both leaders were admitted in the same hospital. The CM’s office and the hospital had maintained that Yediyurappa was in good health and was responding well to the treatment. Several photographs and videos of Yediyurappa working from the hospital and signing on official documents, were released by his office in a bid to reassure people of his health. Yediyurappa regularly held meetings with officials and ministers over the phone during his stay at the hospital, reports stated. Along with the CM, his daughter too had caught the infection and was admitted to the same hospital. 

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FIR against MLA Srinivas Murthy’s nephew Naveen for derogatory post on Prophet

Crime

The police have also registered an FIR against five members of the SDPI and 200 others in connection with the violence.

TNM Staff

It was a derogatory comment against Prophet Mohammed on Facebook that allegedly triggered a mob that turned violent and attacked two police stations and a legislator’s residence in Bengaluru on Tuesday night. The Bengaluru police has arrested P Naveen, the nephew of Pulakeshinagar MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, for posting a comment that defamed Prophet Mohammed and his wife Ayesha.  The Devarajeevanahalli Police on Tuesday, registered an FIR against Naveen under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion) and 294A (insult or attempt to insult religious beliefs with malicious intent to outrage religious sentiments) of the Indian Penal Code.  According to the police, Naveen uploaded the comment at around 7.30 pm on Tuesday, dispelling rumours that it was put up two weeks ago. The DJ Halli Police have also registered an FIR against five members of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI)-- Afnan, Muzamil Pasha, Syed Masood, Ayaz and Allabaksh--in connection with the arson, vandalism and rioting that occurred on Tuesday night. In addition, the police have also booked 200 others who were part of the violent mob that rioted on Tuesday.  The SDPI, on Wednesday, attempted to justify Tuesday night’s violence by stating that the police were reluctant to register an FIR against Naveen as he is MLA Srinivas Murthy’s relative. SDPI leader Mujahid Pasha told TNM that the mob was outraged by the police’s reluctance, which led to the violence.  “Muzamil Pasha, our district president, and other SDPI leaders called DCP East Sharanappa and informed him about the Facebook post. He asked us to go to DJ Halli station and file an FIR. The police were delayed and this is why the crowd gathered outside was outraged,” Mujahid Pasha, SDPI’s working committee members said.  The SDPI also denied that Muzamil Pasha and the other accused in the violence case, attacked the police. “Our leaders were asking people not to resort to violence and maintain peace. Some of our members went and met with the Police Commissioner on Monday and showed him a video, where Muzamil is holding a mic and appealing for peace. Those who resorted to violence must be punished, not the innocent,” Mujahid added. 

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BJP leaders CT Ravi and Tejasvi Surya demand properties of Bengaluru rioters be seized

Politics

Tejasvi Surya wrote to CM Yediyurappa after a violent mob attacked two police stations and burnt public property on Tuesday night.

Theja Ram

Following the violence in Bengaluru on Tuesday night, where a mob vandalised two police stations, BJP leaders including Karnataka Tourism Minister CT Ravi and Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya have requested Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to attach properties of those involved in the riot.  Referring to the violence that occurred in Padarayanapura in April this year, Minister CT Ravi told TNM, “In Padarayanapura people vandalised public property, now it happened in DJ Halli and KG Halli. This is not a one-off incident and in order for it to be controlled, I believe properties of rioters should be attached,” Minister Ravi said, while adding that he has discussed the issue with senior cabinet ministers and the issue would be tabled in the upcoming cabinet meeting on August 20.  Read: ‘Neighbours instigated violence’: Cops, BBMP recall unrest in Bengaluru containment zone “I have spoken to senior cabinet ministers and they support this view too. The public opinion is also largely in favour of this move. We will take this seriously and take a decision in the upcoming cabinet meeting,” he added.  Damages caused by the Rioters will be recovered from them on the lines of UP Government under CM Sri @myogiadityanath. Every one of them will be sent to jail and punished as per law. No mercy will be shown to any Rioter. It is high time some people learnt to behave like Humans. https://t.co/PZT23qOC8f — C T Ravi ಸಿ ಟಿ ರವಿ (@CTRavi_BJP) August 12, 2020 Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya on Wednesday wrote to Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, asking him to follow in the footsteps of his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath and attach properties of the accused involved in the violence on Tuesday.  Violent mobs attacked the DJ Halli and KG Halli police stations in Bengaluru and also the under-construction house belonging to Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy on Tuesday after his nephew made a derogatory comment against Prophet Mohammed on Facebook.  “I request you to follow the example of the Government of Uttar Pradesh, led by Honourable Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanath. Your kind self will be aware that the Shri Yogi Adityanath Government in UP attached the properties of rioters involved in the arson,” Tejasvi Surya’s letter to Yediyurappa states.  .@Tejasvi_Surya writes to @BSYBJP @CMofKarnataka about exemplary punishment to rioters...#BengaluruRiotPlot pic.twitter.com/JrE5EQAaf9 — Payal Mehta/પાયલ મેહતા/ पायल मेहता/ পাযেল মেহতা (@payalmehta100) August 12, 2020 Earlier this year, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adithyanath had issued an order to attach the properties of protesters, who are part of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act and National Registry of Indian Citizens. A hoarding with pictures of those involved in the protests were put up in Lucknow, stating that they were the accused in rioting cases.  The UP government had issued recovery notices worth Rs 1.5 crore to persons accused of destroying public property under the Uttar Pradesh Recovery of Damages to Public and Private Property Ordinance, 2020. “In Uttar Pradesh too, there were so many riots. Once the ordinance was passed, the government was able to control the violence. We need to take this measure to ensure that such incidents don’t occur in the future,” Minister Ravi said.  MP Tejasvi Surya also requested Yediyurappa to launch an investigation into the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and Popular Front of India (PFI), and their alleged involvement in the violence in Bengaluru on Tuesday night.  “The present incident of burning down a police station and attacking more than 60 policemen is something that the state has not witnessed before. I am of the firm opinion that this must be dealt with sternly and an example must be made out of the perpetrators of violence, which will ensure that such incidents will not be repeated in the future,” Tejasvi Surya’s letter adds.  Three people died due to gunshot wounds after police opened to contain the violent mob. Over 60 policemen were injured. Five persons belonging to SDPI were arrested on Wednesday including its Bengaluru district president Muzamil Pasha. Bengaluru Police Commissioner and Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai have stated that the attacks on the police stations were planned well in advance.   

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Bengaluru violence: Police officer on ground says mob snatched weapons from cops

Crime

The police have booked SDPI’s Bengaluru district president Muzamil Pasha in connection with the incident.

TNM Staff

PTI/Representation Photo

After a violent mob attacked two police stations in Bengaluru on Tuesday night, the police have booked over 200 people in connection with the crime. The prime accused, however, are members of the Social Democratic Party of India, the political wing of Popular Front of India.  The police have booked Afnan, Muzamil Pasha (the Bengaluru district president of SDPI), Syed Masood, Ayaz, Allabaksha and 200 others for attempted murder, arson, vandalism, destruction of public property, rioting and criminal intimidation.  An FIR (first information report) was registered against these persons under sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 149 (offence committed by a member of unlawful assembly), 307 (attempted murder), 436 (arson), 353 (assault on public servant), 332 (assault on public servant with intent to deter public servant from carrying out duties), 333 (voluntarily causing grevious hurt to public servant), 427 (damage to public property amountng more tha Rs 50), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).  Keshavamurthy, the Inspector of DJ Halli station, which was attacked by the mob, has recounted in the FIR the turn of events on the night of August 11. The five accused were at the police station to file a complaint against P Naveen, nephew of Pulakeshinagar MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, for posting a derogatory comment against Prophet Mohammed on Facebook.  The five accused were at the station on Tuesday evening and an FIR was registered against Naveen after the mob resorted to violence. A mob of over 300 people had gathered outside the police station, demanding Naveen’s arrest immediately. According to the FIR, Naveen was taken into custody and brought to the DJ Halli Police station around 8 pm. “The accused persons and people in the mob, who were with them, demanded that Naveen be handed over to them. They intended to assault Naveen,” the FIR copy reads.  By 8.45 pm,  Afnan, Muzamil Pasha, Syed Masood, Ayaz and Allabaksha, flanked by their supporters, allegedly began pelting stones and bricks at the police station, demanding that Naveen be handed over to them. “They were screaming, ‘we will kill the police today, we won’t spare the police’, while they set fire to police and civilian vehicles,” the FIR copy states.  Inspector Keshavamurthy recounts in the FIR that members of the mob were carrying machetes, sickles, iron rods, wooden logs, stones and bricks. One of the stones hit a police officer named Sridhar on his head and he sustained severe injuries. When Keshavamurthy announced on the loudspeaker and appealed to people to disperse, the mob paid no heed, the FIR adds. “People tried to snatch weapons from police officers. Despite throwing tear gas shells, the mob was not willing to listen to us. We kept warning them that we would fire gunshots if the crowd did not disperse peacefully. Yet, they set fire to vehicles outside the police station, entered the basement of the police station and set fire to seized vehicles parked there. They also scaled the walls and began assaulting police officers who were inside,” the FIR copy adds.  The police, meanwhile, reached out to religious and political leaders, who also arrived at the spot and appealed for peace. When the mob did not listen, the police announced that section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure was imposed in DJ Halli and KG Halli and that they could not gather in crowds. “Yet, they began shouting slogans, calling to kill the police. The five accused entered the police station, snatched our weapons and threatened to kill the police,” the FIR copy reads.  However, police reinforcements arrived on time and the announcements were made that gunshots be fired repeatedly, the FIR states. Finally, around midnight, gunshots were fired in the air. “We kept announcing that people could lose their lives if we fired shots in the air. The mob did not listen so we had no choice but to fire gunshots. When some people in the crowd were injured, the crowd began dispersing,” the FIR adds.  Meanwhile, as more police personnel were dispatched as reinforcements at the scene, the five prime accused allegedly tried to escape but were cornered inside the police station by the officers on the spot. “We arrested them and also 200 others in connection with the case,” the FIR  states. 

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