Sullia: Local police arrested 15 persons including some BJP activists and Hind Hitarakshna Vedike members, for a stone-pelting incident on the night of Wednesday on Sullia  police station, and produced the suspected gangsters before a local court, which remanded the accused, to judicial custody till Dec 29.

The Vedike called for a silent protest on Friday against what it termed as police atrocities.

A town panchayat vice-president, Prakash Hegde and BJP activist like P.K. Umesh, and many others of BJP are among the detained. The Sullia police are hunting for more persons in the case.

Pratap Reddy, the new IGP (western Range) explained that it was wrong to pelt stones at the police station. A mob had gathered at the police compound and all of a sudden, rowdies among them had become violent even when police were handling a case of 2 women from Jharkhand with 2 muslim conmen n a hired care.

ZP member Navin Rai was present when stones were pitted at the police who had to resort to cane-beating, to disperse the unruly crowds of Rs. The two girls were being sent to a Remand Home in Mangalore by the police.

Police personnel (2 women among them) were hurt in stone throwing by the rowdies. Window panes of a car meant for the 2 arrested girls were broken, besides some cars and bikes around the area were damaged. One person Gangadhar had suffered leg fractures, in a melee.

ASP Prabhakar, Puttur IP Sudarshan, Deputy SP Nagaraj and several police officials were present, to restore normally in the region. There was demonstration by Health department officials against the police for picking up a ‘D class’ employee at night without permission of higher-ups.

Union leaders wore black badges and shouted slogans.