Ballari model house fire: Eight youth, including six juveniles, held

Ballari

Eight people, including six juveniles, were taken into custody a day after a model house built for prospective home buyers was gutted by fire here, police said on Saturday. The incident occurred at a model house located in the G Square Layout in the district headquarters town, they said. The residential layout is being developed by mining baron and BJP MLA G Janardhana Reddy and former minister B Sriramulu, sources said.

Ballari Superintendent of Police Suman Pennekar said preliminary investigation suggested that the fire was started by a group of youths who had entered the abandoned house to shoot reels and take photographs.  "However, a thorough investigation will be conducted," she said. Speaking to the media after inspecting the spot on Saturday, Pennekar said the structure had been in a dilapidated condition for several years. 

"There was garbage inside the house, windows were broken and nobody was living there. There is no CCTV surveillance and no security personnel were deployed." "We have taken eight people into custody who are suspected of being involved," the SP added. Among them, six are juveniles in conflict with law. Many of them are students of schools and colleges, while some are school dropouts. One of them works at a fancy store.

"All of them are children of wage labourers and drivers. We are not sure if they committed this act with any motive. They had entered the abandoned house to shoot reels and click photos. However, we are not ruling out any possibility," Pennekar said. According to the official, a complaint was received at the rural police station at around 10.30 pm on Friday stating that Janardhana Reddy's house had been set on fire, following which a case was registered.

Meanwhile, Janardhana Reddy's brother and BJP leader G Somashekar Reddy alleged that the house was set ablaze by supporters of Congress MLA Nara Bharath Reddy. He claimed that petrol and diesel were used to set the house on fire, alleging that the miscreants poured fuel on inflammable materials before torching the structure. On January 1, violent clashes had erupted in Ballari city over the installation of banners ahead of a statue unveiling programme. One person was killed in the clashes, which allegedly broke out between supporters of Janardhana Reddy and Bharath Reddy over the banner installation.