In yet another instance of moral policing in Dakshina Kannada, a 20-year-old male Muslim student was assaulted for dropping his female friend, a classmate who belongs to another religion, home. Mohammad Yasin, a BSc student of Srinivas College in Mukka on the outskirts of Mangaluru, and his classmate were the victims.
Six persons have been arrested in connection with the case, which took place in Surathkal town. According to the Surathkal police, the arrested persons have been identified as Prahlad, Prashanth, Guruprasad, Prateesh, Bharath and Sukesh.
Speaking to TNM, Yasin said that his friend was shifting from Mukka (near Mangaluru) to Surathkal. “It was late — around 9:30-10 pm — and she was not finding an auto. There was no bus or auto, so I took my friend's bike and was on my way to drop her with luggage to Surathkal,” he added.
From Mukka, he said, two people began to follow them. “I kept telling her don't worry. We entered the parking area in one flat and realised we had entered the wrong flat. In the parking area of the wrong flat, the residents (they were nice) told us don’t go out.” People had gathered and asking the two who they were. The woman told the group that Yasin was helping her move.
Yasin says the men following them asked him for his name and ID, and then assaulted them. “They got angry and hit me on my face and behind my left ear. They pushed my friend and abused her,” he said.
He believes the residents of that flat called the police, after which they were taken to the police station. After this, the two filed a complaint. “I felt alone and I thought I would be beaten up by that group. I did not know the language they were speaking either but she did and she was talking to them throughout,” he told TNM.
According to the police, the accused spotted Yasin and the woman near the apartment, stopped them and inquired about the man's name, and assaulted him for dropping the woman. They also threatened the girl and touched her inappropriately while assaulting Yasin, they said. The police are investigating the matter.
It may be recalled that Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai while answering a question on rising cases of moral policing in Dakshina Kannada had stated that the responsibility lies with both parties and when sentiments are hurt there will be action and reactions.
As per details compiled based on news reports by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties - Karnataka, there were 71 incidents of reported communal policing in Dakshina Kannada in 2021 till the month of September.
“While there appeared to have been a lull in the incidents from April 2021 till August, a rise in these communal incidents was observed in the months of September – October, co-terminus with the aggressive and vocal calls for enactment of various legislations to “regulate” conversions and inter-faith marriages,” the report said.
With IANS inputs