Kittur viral video: Police deny moral policing

BELAGAVI: A video wherein a group of youths assault the driver of a car in which some girls were travelling led to speculation of moral policing. However, the police have denied it and said the fight was over some other issue.

The incident is said to have occurred near the NH bypass on the outskirts of Kittur on Wednesday. The minor girls who were in the car had come from Hubballi to witness the Kittur Utsav when a group of drunk youths attacked the driver of the car.

Some of the attackers seen in the videos.

Police Superintendent Bheemashankar Guled said, “The incident occurred on the first day of the Kittur Utsav. No communal colour should be given to the incident. The driver of the car, along with some minor girls, were sitting in the car in front of a house and consuming alcohol. Some locals who were disturbed by this called the emergency number 112 following which a patrol vehicle went to the spot and asked them to leave after issuing a notice to present themselves in the police station the next day. The patrol car even escorted them for some distance”.

Further, he said, “However, the car driver drove back to the same place and the group continued to consume alcohol. The locals then asked them to leave and some of them even attacked the car driver some distance ahead. The police then brought the attackers and the car driver to the police station, questioned them and sent them away”.

The SP said the minor girls who were in the car had not lodged any complaint and added that the police will look into it if a complaint is registered. “We did not insist that they disclose the names of their parents on the day of the incident to protect their identities. We are also examining CCTV footage. Prima facie, it does not seem to be a case of moral policing. If any complaint is lodged, we will register it and investigate”, he added.