BANGALORE VIOLENCE: HINDU-MUSLIM CLASHES FOLLOW SADDAM

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENNAI 000052

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS, CA/OCS, DS/IP/SCA, DS/ITA AND DS/OSAC

NEW DELHI FOR POL, RSO, FCS, DAO, ODC AND CONS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PINR ASEC CASC IN
SUBJECT: BANGALORE VIOLENCE: HINDU-MUSLIM CLASHES FOLLOW SADDAM
EXECUTION PROTEST

REF: A) CHENNAI 031 B) 06 CHENNAI 724


1. (SBU) Summary: Hindu-Muslim riots broke out in several Bangalore
neighborhoods over the January 19-21 weekend following a meeting
organized by a Karnataka-based Muslim politician to condemn the
execution of Saddam Hussein. On January 19, Hindus and Muslims
clashed after Muslims marching to the protest meeting through an
area known for communal unrest tore down banners announcing a Hindu
convention. Later, a January 21 procession by Hindu activists
resulted in further clashes during which the police opened fire on
rioters. A young boy was killed in the firing, and the violence
left over 31 individuals injured and scores of vehicles burnt. U.S.
companies that operate 24/7 operations in Bangalore remained
unaffected. The absence of clear orders from the political
leadership hampered the police response and prolonged the violence.
End summary

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Muslim attendees remove Hindu banners sparking riots
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2. (SBU) A meeting organized on January 19 by a Muslim politician
C.K. Jaffer Sharief (Congress) at Shivajinagar, a crowded Bangalore
locality with a history of communal tension, to condemn the
execution of Saddam Hussein sparked a weekend of Hindu-Muslim
clashes in Bangalore. The immediate cause of the riots was the
removal by Muslim supports of Mr. Sharief of a few banners
announcing a Hindu Samavesha or convention organized by several
Hindu extremist groups. A rumor about desecration of a Hindu idol
added to the tension. Mobs allegedly organized by the Hindu Senna,
one of the convention organizers, rampaged through areas adjoining
the Saddam Hussein protest venue, targeting shops, offices and a few
houses belonging to the local Muslim community. Although the
violence occurred on the fringes of the Saddam execution protest
meeting, the clashes were not anti-U.S. nor directly related to the
Saddam execution.

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Hindu procession sparks more violence
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3. (SBU) On January 21 violence erupted again during the Hindu
convention when Muslim militants attacked Hindu activists taking
part in a procession. Over 30 vehicles, mostly Karnataka
government-owned public transport buses, were targeted. Police
eventually opened fired, injuring 31 people and apparently killing
an eleven-year old boy who was found in a dustbin with a gunshot
wound. Roshen Baig, another Muslim politician, told post that the
police targeted Muslims in the firing. Press reports, however,
suggest that members of both communities were injured.

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U.S. companies, expats largely unaffected
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4. (U) The operations of U.S. companies in Bangalore remained
largely unaffected by the localized violence. IBM's government
relations executive told us that all its 24/7 operations continued
normally. Contacts at Bangalore-based Indian software giants
Infosys and Wipro provided similar reports. Representatives of all
of the companies we contacted told post that security at their
facilities had been heightened, even if they did not anticipate
trouble.


5. (U) U.S. citizen wardens in Bangalore confirmed to post's ACS
Unit that violence and tensions are largely localized, with
disruptions only for people who live in or pass through affected
areas. Post's Commercial Officer, who is in Bangalore with a U.S.
trade delegation, says the group is able to go about it business
normally and that the Commercial Service's Bangalore branch office
is operating as usual.

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Instability of Karnataka government hampers decisive police action
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6. (SBU) Comment: The ill-advised permissions given to both groups
to conduct their respective meetings plus an apparent lack of
political will to firmly put down the initial clash helped to spark
and prolong the violence. Tensions between Janata Dal and Bharatiya
Janata Party, the partners in Karnataka's coalition government,
hamper decision-making and leave the police without clear directions
from the political executive (see also ref b). Karnataka police and
state politicians assert that the worst of the violence is over, but

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the unstable political situation does not engender confidence in the
government's ability to act effectively if the predications are
wrong. End comment

HOPPER