Muslim Man Stabbed for Travelling with Hindu Woman in Karnataka Town
April 4, 2021
Media reports suggest that the mob had members from Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal
Clarion India
NEW DELHI — Anwar Mohammad from Karnataka’s Mangaluru was stabbed by right-wing activists in coastal Dakshina Kannada district on Thursday because he was accompanying a Hindu girl on a bus to Bengaluru, according to media reports.
The victim is said to be in critical condition in a private hospital.
Mangaluru City Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar told the media that Anwar Mohammad and his female friend Ashwini Shanubhag, who were classmates earlier, were heading to Bengaluru in search of a job.
At around 9:30 pm at night, the bus was stopped at Pumpwell circle by a group of men who raised questions about the interfaith duo travelling together.
During commotion, Anwar was stabbed reportedly with a sharp object. The woman was also attacked. She too sustained injuries.
An FIR has been registered for attempt to murder (IPC section 307) among other sections at the Kankanady police station in Mangaluru. No arrests have been made so far, reports Siasat.com.
Media reports suggest that the mob had members from Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal.
In fact, after the incident, a message circulated on WhatsApp. It read: “Ongoing Operation by Bajrang Dal Today (Thursday). A Hindu young woman who was fleeing with a Muslim man was travelling from Mangaluru to Bengaluru. Bajrang Dal activists stopped the couple near Pumpwell.”
It was not, however, ascertained how the group of attackers came to know of the victim, his identity and his travel details.
VHP activists have said that they stopped and questioned the couple because it was a case of “love jihad”, but said that it was another group that turned violent.
“We were trying to save the girl from ‘love jihad’ but the mob turned violent. Police are investigating the case,” a VHP office-bearer told Hindustan Times.
