Activist who assaulted Kukke Subrahmanya devotee sent to judicial custody till Nov 3

Mangaluru: Activist Chaitra Kundapur and six others who were arrested for assaulting a devotee, Guruprasad Panja at Kukke Subrahmanya on Wednesday have been sent to judicial custody till November 3.

The area had witnessed a fight between devotees of Kukke Sri Subrahmanya Temple and supporters of Sri Samputa Narasimha Swami Matha led by Chaitra Kundapur on Wednesday evening.

Chaitra and her associates who are all supporters of the Matha had allegedly assaulted Guruprasad, a shop owner near Kashikatte in Kukke and a supporter of the temple. Following this incident, the police arrested Chaitra and her six associates who were produced before court and sent to ten days judicial custody.

Meanwhile, shops were shut in Kukke Subrahmanya as the shop owners had called for a bandh to condemn the attack on Guruprasad Panja. A protest was also held against Chaitra and her supporters by the local residents. Messages blaming Chaitra Kundapur are making the rounds on social media with many questioning her presence in Kukke and the unnecessary interference in the issue as she is from Udupi district.