The Davanagere Police in Karnataka has apprehended two individuals for their involvement in the assault of two Muslim youths in an incident of moral policing.
The accused, known as Doddesh (28) and Lingaraju (25), are residents of Davanagere. This information was provided by officials who are knowledgeable about the progress of the case.
Doddesh is a former president of an association of fans of a Kannada actor, and Lingaraju is a pro-Kannada worker, officials were quoted by The Hindustan Times as saying on Sunday.
“They assaulted Mohammed Subani (22) and Ibrahim (21) for accompanying a Hindu girl in a cinema theatre in Davanagere on Thursday. The accused also made a video of the assault and shared it on social media. After the video clip went viral, the girl filed a police complaint on Friday,” a police officer said.
According to a complaint lodged by 21-year-old Soundarya, she and her two Muslim classmates went to watch a movie on Thursday. However, they were intercepted by the accused who subjected them to caste-based verbal abuse and physically assaulted Soundarya.
Soundarya is currently pursuing her final year of degree education in Davanagere, as reported by the newspaper.
In response to the complaint, the KTJ Nagara police have filed a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including wrongful restraint (Section 341), causing hurt (Section 323), intentional insult (Section 504), publishing news and stories concerning a conflict between police personnel from various departments (Section 505(2)), and criminal force on a woman to outrage modesty (Section 354). Additionally, the case is being investigated under the SC/ST Atrocity Prevention Act of 1989.
Dr. Arun, the Superintendent of Police in Davanagere, confirmed that the two accused were arrested following the complaint.
According to a complaint lodged by 21-year-old Soundarya, she and her two Muslim classmates went to watch a movie on Thursday. However, they were intercepted by the accused who subjected them to caste-based verbal abuse and physically assaulted Soundarya.
Soundarya is currently pursuing her final year of degree education in Davanagere, as reported by the newspaper.
In response to the complaint, the KTJ Nagara police have filed a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including wrongful restraint (Section 341), causing hurt (Section 323), intentional insult (Section 504), publishing news and stories concerning a conflict between police personnel from various departments (Section 505(2)), and criminal force on a woman to outrage modesty (Section 354). Additionally, the case is being investigated under the SC/ST Atrocity Prevention Act of 1989.
The incident took place at Geethanjali Theatre in Davanagere City. The police are currently investigating whether the accused have been involved in any previous instances of moral policing.
Authorities are also looking into the potential involvement of other organizations or individuals in connection with the incident.
Dr. Arun emphasized the police department’s commitment to preventing incidents of moral policing by taking strict legal action against the perpetrators.
The Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah, has directed the police officials to take firm action against those engaged in moral policing and to uphold the law. In line with this directive, he chaired a meeting with police officers in Davanagere last month.
To address the issue of moral policing, Karnataka has established an anti-communal wing that is currently operational in the Dakshina Kannada district, where incidents of moral policing are prevalent.
