Inter-faith cousins brutally attacked by mob in Karnataka's Belagavi

Belagavi: In a disturbing incident of moral policing, a male and female cousin from different religious backgrounds faced a brutal assault by a group of 17 individuals near a lake in Karnataka's Belagavi.

The victims, who were sitting together near Killa Lake, encountered a group of about eight individuals, leading to a horrifying attack when the assailants discovered their differing religions.

The victims, out to apply for a government scheme, were subjected to a prolonged assault by the group, lasting hours until their families intervened. Reports state that the attackers, from a minority community, assaulted the cousins using pipes and rods.

According to police sources, the assailants began by questioning the man and berating him for sitting next to the woman, both belonging to separate religions. Subsequently, the situation escalated as more individuals joined the group, resulting in the victims being confined and subjected to severe physical assault in a room near the lake, reported NDTV.

The man recounted the ordeal, stating that the attackers questioned their sitting arrangement based on religious differences and proceeded to rob them of their phones and a sum of Rs 7,000 in cash.

Allegedly, the mob continued to brutalise the man until 6:30 PM while also attacking the woman. Considering the man's Scheduled Castes community status, the police have filed a case under the Prevention of Atrocities Act.

State political figures responded to the incident, acknowledging the complexity of such occurrences as social issues that need careful attention. Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara emphasised addressing these cases individually based on circumstances, highlighting the unpredictability of such events involving moral policing.

BJP's CN Ashwath Narayan condemned the attack, emphasising the importance of legal recourse instead of vigilante actions. He urged people to report concerns to authorities rather than taking the law into their own hands.

This incident draws attention to persistent instances of moral policing despite government efforts to curb such behaviours. Last year, Karnataka Minister Ramalinga Reddy accused the BJP of inciting communal tension through disguised activities. The BJP retaliated, dismissing Reddy's statements as politically motivated attempts to deflect from the government's shortcomings.