Mangaluru police obtain bonds from 895 persons to maintain public order: Commissioner

Mangaluru: In a bid to maintain public peace and prevent law and order disturbances, the Mangaluru Police Commissionerate has obtained bonds for good behaviour from a total of 895 persons, including 807 individuals whose names figure in the rowdy-sheeter list, city Police Commissioner Sudhir Kumar Reddy C.H. said on Saturday.

Sharing detailed data, the Commissioner said that among those who executed bonds, 521 were Hindus, 351 Muslims and 23 belonged to other religions. Of the Hindus, 474 were listed rowdy-sheeters, while 47 had previous involvement in criminal cases.

Among Muslims, 321 were rowdy-sheeters and 30 others had criminal antecedents. In the ‘other religions’ category, 11 were rowdy-sheeters and 12 others had past criminal records.

The clarification comes in the wake of allegations raised during a protest organised by the SDPI in the city on Friday, which accused the police of discrimination in obtaining bonds from accused persons involved in criminal activities. The Police Commissioner said such claims were misleading and not supported by facts.

He further explained that ahead of granting permission for the Sharadotsava procession in Bajpe, the police had collected a security deposit of ₹2 lakh from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal. Similarly, a ₹2 lakh security deposit was taken from the SDPI before permitting its protest. “This measure was intended to curb hate speech and ensure that public programmes do not disturb communal harmony,” he said.

Commissioner Reddy asserted that the police do not act with prejudice against any individual or group. “Our actions are guided solely by evidence and ground-level inputs. The law empowers the police to act against those who disturb public peace or engage in criminal activities, and we will continue to exercise that authority,” he said.

He cautioned against attempts to spread communal hatred by selectively sharing information. “Crime control largely depends on public cooperation. If members of a particular community are more frequently involved in criminal activities, the number of cases against that community will naturally be higher. Police action reflects crime patterns, not bias,” he clarified.

The Commissioner also disclosed that security deposits worth ₹10.15 lakh have been forfeited from 54 persons for violating bond conditions. Of this, ₹7.40 lakh was forfeited from 39 Hindus, ₹2.40 lakh from 13 Muslims and ₹35,000 from two persons belonging to other religions. Proceedings to forfeit deposits in additional cases are currently under way.

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