Bengaluru: The Pinarayi Vijayan government has made travel arrangements for all Kerala students in Mangaluru two days after Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai claimed that people from the neighbouring state indulged in violence over Citizenship Act in the coastal district.
The detention of seven Malayali television journalists in Mangaluru also pushed the Vijayan government to ensure a safe passage for the students back to their home state.
The government has sent five Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses to Karnataka to ensure the transportation of the Malayali students in Mangaluru.
“These students have been stranded in Mangalore and they communicated to the chief minister’s office that they are unable to go back to their homes in Kerala. The Kerala CM intervened and has instructed officials to ensure these students are brought back safely,” an official from the Kerala CMO confirmed to ThePrint on condition of anonymity.
The chief minister also held a high-level meet with government officials, including his state police chief, and issued instructions that all students studying in Mangaluru should leave hostels and return home.
“The government of Kerala is in touch with the Government of Karnataka. On the direction of CM Pinarayi Vijayan, this has been communicated to the Karnataka officials and the Karnataka police chief. Further steps are being taken,” a statement from the Kerala CMO said Saturday.
“The students can go back to their colleges after the holidays and by then one expects the issue to have cooled down and become peaceful again,” the Kerala CMO official added.
The move came after two persons were killed in police firing in Mangaluru Thursday after violence broke out in the coastal district.
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The Mangaluru violence
Earlier, the Karnataka home minister told reporters that “people who had come from Kerala to participate in the protest also tried to set fire to a police station in Mangaluru and damaged public property. To control the mob, police had to use force.”
Mangaluru has seen a complete clampdown after the violent protests and a curfew has been imposed in the district until Sunday. Internet and mobile services have also been suspended in the district.
Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa, who visited Mangaluru Saturday, assured a probe into the violence that rocked the coastal city. He also announced a relaxation in curfew for a few hours in Mangaluru.
‘Misled students
On Thursday, the Mangaluru police detained seven television journalists from Kerala based news channels — who were in the district to cover the protests against Citizenship Amendment Act — to ascertain if they were actually journalists
The journalists claimed that the police didn’t release them until Kerala government’s intervention.
Bommai alleged that “protest marches were held peacefully in most parts of Karnataka but there was violence in Mangaluru. Some of the people came from Kerala and they misled students and instigated violence.”
Balaji Srinivas, BJP state convener in Karnataka, also tweeted, “50 goonda elements from Kerala tries to enter Venlak hospital in Mangalore in the name [of] journalists. Sources says the gang was carrying weapons and cameras to create ruckus. (Police sources) (sic).”
50 goonda elements from Kerala tries to enter Venlak hospital in Mangalore in the name journalists. Sources says the gang was carrying weapons and cameras to create ruckus. (Police sources)
— Balaji Srinivas (@BalajiiSrinivas) December 20, 2019
Mangaluru Police Commissioner P.S. Harsha who also briefed the media Thursday said people from Kerala entered Mangaluru in the guise of being journalists and tried to incite trouble. The officer cited this as the reason to ensure that only “genuine media persons” were allowed in the city.
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