Bengaluru: Five youths, four hailing from Kerala and one from Nepal, were assaulted by a gang of five local people, who allegedly termed them as ‘outsiders’ and attacked them with a bamboo stick. The incident was reported in Byrappa Layout in Bhoopasandra in Sanjaynagar police station limits late on Friday night.
Mervin Michael Joy, 22, who hails from Kottayam, sustained injuries in the attack and received nine sutures in the head. He is a sixth semester BBM student at a private college in Bhoopasandra. Along with him, his friends, Jebin, Kamsehwar, Masood, and Mohammed Hashir were beaten up. Kameshwar hails from Nepal. All of them are college students, except Hashir, who runs a paying guest accommodation.
The incident happened when Joy, Jebin, Kameshwar and Masood had gone to hotel close to the place they stayed. When they came out of the hotel, around 12 in the midnight, Joy found some youth had deflated his bike tyre. When he questioned the youth, he was reportedly told that they were doing it as the police had told them to do so.
When Joy, questioned which police, there was no appropriate answer and the youth along with his associates picked up an argument with Joy and his friends.
Passersby gathered and pacified both the groups, after which Joy left with his friends, pushing his bike. By the time they reached their home, a gang of five youths followed them and surrounded them near their house. They allegedly attacked them with a bamboo stick and pelted stones at them. Meanwhile, Hashir, who was informed about the incident, came near Joy’s house and he was also slapped by one of the miscreants. Narrating the incident, Hashir told Deccan Chronicle that the assailants kept on asking ‘Are you from Kerala’. “There was no issue at all for them to fight with us. They told us we are outsiders and asked why we were here? For no reason, we were beaten up. We tried to talk to them and know what was their problem, but they were in no mood to listen and came charging at us.”
“After they left, I asked the friends to take Joy to hospital as he was bleeding in his head. After sometime, we went to Sanjaynagar police station to file a complaint, but the police was not willing to take the compliant. They told us that they would send a Hoysala patrolling vehicle to the spot, but we were not satisfied. It was only after we approached the staff at Bowring Hospital police out post, where we had gone to get Joy treated, a complaint was registered. They informed Sanjaynagar police, who then took up the case,” Hashir alleged.
The Sanjayanagar police, who are investigating the case, have reportedly picked up two youth in connection with the incident.
One of them has been identified as Kiran and search is on for other accused, sources said.
We didn’t refuse to register Plaint: DCP
When contacted DCP (North) T.R. Suresh said that the police did not refuse to register complaint. “In fact, the staff at Sanjayanagar police asked them to go to Bowring Hospital and avail treatment. There was no delay in registering the complaint,” he said, adding that two youths were detained and were being interrogated.
