Mangaluru: Muslim beaten up for being with Hindu girl

Mangaluru: In a new twist to Monday’s attack on a Muslim youth by a vigilante group, the girl has complained to the police that the youth tried to sexually harass her.

On Monday, Shakeer, an employee at a commercial outlet in the city, was assaulted allegedly by a right-wing vigilante group for speaking to a Hindu girl. He was stripped, tied to an electric pole, and was assaulted for over an hour by the group.

The girl, in her statement to the police, claimed that it was a not a vigilante group, but the public, who saw Shakeer dragging her and came to her rescue. The girl alleged that Shakeer repeatedly tried to touch her and harass her.

“We both work at the same outlet. He used to send me messages. I, too, replied to them as he was my superior. I come from a poor family and was scared that if I did not reply, he would throw me out of the job.” She requested the police to release those arrested for assaulting Shakeer.

Youth harassed me, claims girl: She alleged that he had been misbehaving with her for long. “One day, he volunteered to drop me home and tried to misbehave with me. I got down from the car and walked away. “Later, he kept texting me, asking me to meet him and saying that he would give me money,” the girl alleged.

“On Monday, he sent a message saying he would drop me home. I agreed, as I was scared. When I came near the bus stop, he tried to drag me and I started shouting for help. Passersby gathered and beat him up,” she said. “He claims he has video clippings of me in his car. I request the police to destroy them,” she said.

She asked the police to take legal action against Shakeer for harassing her. On Monday, she appeared before the media and repeated her accusations.