Muslim woman harassed for talking to Hindu youth in B'luru; 4 held, minor detained

Bengaluru, April 11 (IANS) The Karnataka Police arrested four people and detained a minor on Friday in connection with a case of moral policing reported under the Chandra Layout police station limits in Bengaluru.

The accused allegedly confronted a Muslim woman for speaking with a Hindu youth. They verbally abused her and attempted to assault her.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Maheem, Afridi, Wasim, and Anjum. The police are also questioning the minor boy involved in the incident.

According to the police, the woman, who was wearing a burqa, was chatting with a Hindu youth seated on his bike in the Chandra Layout area. The group of accused individuals approached them and questioned the woman, asking why she was affectionately speaking to a Hindu boy while wearing a burqa.

The gang reportedly insulted her, asking whether she had any shame or self-respect. They also demanded that she provide the phone numbers of her family members so they could speak to them directly.

However, the woman stood her ground and confronted the group, questioning their interference in her personal matters. She reportedly told them that the person she was speaking to was her classmate and asked why she should give out her family's contact information.

Enraged by her response, the group allegedly attempted to assault both the woman and the Hindu youth. The accused later circulated a video of the two chatting on social media, which went viral.

Following the circulation of the video, some Hindu organisations and activists raised objections and questioned Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, asking whether this incident did not amount to moral policing. They further criticized the state government, rhetorically asking whether Sharia law had been implemented in Karnataka.

The Chandra Layout police registered a case and took swift action by arresting the accused.

In a horrific incident reported from Hangal town on January 8, 2024, a woman, a homemaker, was allegedly dragged out of a hotel after being seen with a person from another community and was beaten up.

The victim, who belonged to the minority community, said that when she was at the hotel, a group of five to six men barged inside, questioned her and took her on their motorcycles forcibly. She claimed that they took her to an isolated place and assaulted her brutally and all of them raped her. Later, they asked her to sit in a car and the driver also raped her. Her ordeal did not end there. She was also taken to other places and gang-raped. The police arrested the accused persons after the victim released a video and appealed for action.

--IANS

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