An undergraduate student of the Azim Premji University, was assaulted, stripped naked, branded, spat on and urinated upon in the city limits, by three miscreants, who were under the influence of narcotics and alcohol.
21-year-old Abhilash Acharya (name changed), son of a Naval commander, was also robbed off his possessions by the three unidentified men in Sarjapura on January 14.
At 7.05 pm, Abhilash was walking from his hostel to a bus stop on Sarjapura road, nearly 1.5 km from his university. He had missed the university shuttle bus, and was headed to meet his friends for dinner.
“I noticed three men coming towards me, one of them tall. All three were swaying and walking, as if they were under the influence of narcotics or alcohol. One of them bumped into me, and started randomly abusing me. Then, they all started assaulting me for no reason whatsoever,” Abhilash told DH.
“There was no provocation or even resistance from me. I was trying to remain calm and looking for a chance to flee. The tall man whom the others called Shiva, and another short man, turned really aggressive and dragged me to a field nearby. The trio abused me in a mix of Kannada and Hindi,” he added.
Abhilash was unsure if he can raise an alarm fearing the miscreants could even kill him. It was a dark and isolated spot. The trio then started stripping Abhilash. Meanwhile, Shiva got hold of Abhilash’s phone, smart watch and wallet containing his debit cards and other identity cards. They didn’t even spare his clothes or shoes.
In the ordeal that lasted almost 20 minutes, the trio lit up some plastic which was lying around, and using the molten plastic, they branded Abhilash on his thighs, back, hands and legs, burning his jeans as well. They sprinkled marijuana on him, spat and even urinated on his body.
“While Shiva was being aggressive, the other two men were having fun watching my plight,” said Abhilash.
The trio continued to assault and humiliate Abhilash who had lost consciousness by then.
When Abhilash gained consciousness, he found himself lying naked in a field. His hands were tied with his belt, and his legs bound with his jeans. He had to hop his way to an under-construction building nearby, where he was shooed away by the security guards. Later, a Good Samaritan noticed him, gave him a jacket, and informed the police.
Further on, a police van dropped Abhilash to his hostel after which he was taken to a hospital. The following morning, Abhilash’s father, lodged a complaint at the Sarjapura police station.
‘My son will pull through this’
“Even after the brutal attack that night, my brave son spoke about rising social disparity and what the rapid urbanisation has done to the city which is in fact the trigger to such incidents,” said Abhilash’s father who wished to remain anonymous. “I am sure, my son will pull through this easily,” he added.
“The university has been supportive after the ordeal with frequent follow ups. We deeply appreciate and acknowledge their support,” said the victim’s father.