Karnataka: Police book 15 for assaulting youth for entering Golla community street

The victim Maruthi, hailing from M C Halli, was working as a driver in an earth mover. In a complaint, Maruthi said that when he went to the street to work, 30 to 40 people arrived at the spot suddenly and objected to his presence in their area.

Chikkamagaluru: The Tarikere police have booked an FIR against 15 people for allegedly assaulting a youth from the Madiga community for entering the street where Golla community members reside at Gerumaradi in Tarikere taluk.

The victim Maruthi, hailing from M C Halli, was working as a driver in an earth mover. He had been to the area to clear the mud after an old house belonging to a person called Ravi was demolished.

In a complaint, Maruthi said that when he went to the street to work, 30 to 40 people arrived at the spot suddenly and objected to his presence in their area. They later assaulted him.

The suspects alleged that if Madiga community members step into the area, the sanctity of their god will be affected. Even after he was injured due to the assault and pleaded for water, it was not given to him. They, instead, snatched away Rs 20,000 from his pocket.

The miscreants had demanded a fine of Rs one lakh from him for the temple and warned of parading him naked. "Later, I was pushed out of the street,” the complainant alleged.

Based on the complaint, the police have booked a case against Kumar, Omkarappa, Padma, Ramanna, Jagadeesh, Chitrappa, Shankarappa, Rajappa,Thammaiah, Nagaraj, Shivarama, Abhi, Appu, Manjunath, and Basavaraj under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Investigation is in progress