Bengaluru riots: CCB claims ex-Mayor Sampath was in touch with rioters

Murkier details of the August 11 violence in Bengaluru East are emerging with call details of former Mayor Sampath Raj's call records showung that he was not just present at his close aide's house and monitoring the riots but was also allegedly in touch with rioters. 

The CCB police had earlier filed a chargesheet in which it named Sampath Raj and his corporator friend AR Zakir. 

Fearing arrest, Sampath is believed to have moved court for interim bail. 

The Congress has already dubbed the entire probe and naming of its leaders in the chargesheet as an act of vendetta. 

On August 11 midnight, peace in Bengaluru was shattered after hundreds of rioters armed with sticks, stones and petrol bomb attacked a police station and Congress MLA Akhand Srinivasmurthy's house, and burnt dozens of vehicle. 4 people were killed in the violence and hundreds were injured.

Initially, it was reported that the violence was triggered over a derogatory post on Prophet Muhammad by Congress MLA's nephew. 

However, days later the CCB picked up Arun, a relative of Sampath Raj, and based on his statement and other evidence, the investigators are reportedly making a water-tight case against Sampath.

Sampath was also a ticket aspirant for Pulakeshinagar assembly. However, the seat went to Akhanda after he along with his patron Zameer Ahmed Khan and  few JDS leaders joined the Congress just before 2018 Assembly election.

• Bengaluru riots
• CCB
• ex-Mayor
• ex-Mayor Sampath
• rioters