Bangalore: A case of moral policing has been reported in Belagavi, Karnataka, where a group of Muslim men allegedly assaulted a Dalit Hindu boy and a Muslim girl for sitting together. The police have taken nine individuals into custody in connection with the incident.
The victims, 18-year-old Sachin Lamani and 22-year-old Muskan Patel, endured a prolonged assault involving pipes and rods from the accused. The incident came to light when the victims, after being attacked, filed a complaint with the police. In response, the Belagavi Police registered a case under the SC/ST Atrocities Act.
Recalling the horrifying experience, Sachin said, "They asked why a Hindu and a Muslim were sitting together. I told them she wasn't a Muslim but my own aunt's daughter. They took both of our phones. They snatched away Rs 7,000."
Sachin explained that the issue arose when Muskan and he went to apply for Siddaramaiah's Yuva Nidhi scheme. "When we went to apply for the scheme, they asked us to come after an hour as it was lunchtime. So, we went to sit by Killa Lake. The miscreants were drunk when they came to us. They took a rod and thrashed us," Sachin told the media.
The incident unfolded near Killa Lake in Belagavi on a Saturday afternoon. The group of miscreants approached Sachin and Muskan, inquiring about their names, according to the complaint.
Upon learning that they belonged to different religions, the attackers began questioning Sachin about sitting next to Muskan. The verbal abuse escalated to physical violence, with the assailants attempting to strangle Sachin by his neck. They forcibly took the mobile phones of both victims, according to Sachin and Muskan's police complaint.
Subsequently, 13 more people joined the attackers, taking Sachin and Muskan to a separate room where they subjected Sachin to brutal thrashing until Saturday evening, according to the complaint. Muskan was also attacked during the incident, according to police sources.
Online Gaming Fraud: Hyderabad Police Arrests Accused Mastermind
Hartal Declared in Idukki: LDF Protest Against Governor's Refusal to Sign Land Amendment Bill