Moral policing: Hindu youth thrashed by mob for dropping off Muslim girl home in Bhadravathi

SHIVAMOGGA: In yet another instance of suspected moral policing, a group of Muslim youths thrashed a Hindu youth for dropping her off home on his motorcycle in Bhadravathi.

Last Friday, Sufi Sherawat, a student of Ambedkar Paramedical College and a resident of Kalandar Nagar, received information that her sister had sustained injuries after a fall. She then sought the help of Vinay Kumar, a final-year student to drop her off home. Vinay Kumar then borrowed his friend Yashwant Singh’s motorcycle and dropped her off at her house around 3.45 pm.

When Vinay was returning around 4 pm, he was waylaid by a group of about 20 people at Jhandha Katte who asked him his name. They then questioned him why he was taking a Muslim girl on the motorcycle and suddenly, 5-6 of them thrashed Vinay badly, leaving him injured in the face, nose, near the left eye, back and leg.

Vinay Kumar then called his friends Yashwanth and Abhi to the spot, but they too were beaten up by the mob. Then, some locals intervened and shifted the injured youths to a hospital. A case has been registered at the Old Town police station in this regard.

In another instance on May 24, a Hindu youth, who was with a Muslim girl at an eatery, was assaulted by a group of Muslim youths in Chikkaballapur. Videos of the incident had gone viral.

The youth, hailing from a village in Dibbooralli in Sidlaghatta taluk, and the girl, a resident of Indira Nagar in Chikkaballapur, are students of the M G First Grade College in the town. The youth stays in a government hostel on MG Road while the girl also works at a mall in Yelahanaka in Bengaluru.

The youth and the girl were accosted at an eatery; (right) the girl leading the youth away.

On that day, she returned to Chikkaballapur as she was feeling a bit unwell. She met the youth by chance near the bus stand and he inquired with her why she was not attending college properly. They then headed to the Gopika Chats Centre for a snack.

Even as they were eating, some Muslim youths confronted them and waited outside. As they exited, they accosted the duo and hurled abuses at them. However, the girl stood in the way and prevented the youths from assaulting her companion. She even led him away from the place.

The police visited the girl’s house and recorded the statements of her parents.

On coming to know about the incident, elders of the Muslim community got the girl to apologise and not to repeat such acts. They even got her to say that the youth was like her brother.

After the videos went viral, the range Inspector General of Police (IGP) ordered the Superintendent of Police to investigate the matter. The police visited the girl’s house and questioned the girl’s parents. They also recorded the statement of the youth. Meanwhile, the three youths who created the ruckus are absconding.