Karnataka: 21-year-old assaulted for feeding strays

Bengaluru: Stray dogs - you either love 'em or hate 'em! A 21-year-old woman, Anjali (name changed), who stopped to feed a stray dog, was verbally abused, slapped, assaulted and ridiculed by two men, as people stood by and watchedat Marathahalli on Tuesday night.

It was around 9.30 pm when Anjali was returning home after her shift. As she
was about to reach her house, she saw a stray dog near the bus stand and offered it some biscuits.

"I waited for the dog to eat the biscuits as I wanted to offer more. But suddenly a couple came threateningly towards me and asked, 'Why are you feeding the dog?' I replied that I feed them when I see them. Before I could finish, the couple rudely told me to take all the street dogs to my house.

When I told them not to be rude, the man shouted at me and hurled abuses.
When I warned him to mind his language, he tried to slap me. I ducked, but he came back again and slapped me," she said.

"His wife pulled him back, while he continued his abuses. When I asked him to move aside, he lost his cool and slapped me saying, 'What will you do?' I looked around for some help, but people were just standing around and watching the spectacle," she said.

As Anjali was scared that she would be mobbed, she called her sister Neeta (name changed), who rushed to the spot. As Neeta was trying to rescue her sister, another man joined the couple and hit Anjali.

"My sister was pushing the two men, but they kept coming towards me menacingly. They tried to hit my sister too, but a man from the crowd came to our rescue and pulled them away," Anjali said.

Determined to teach her assaulter a lesson, Anjali on Wednesday morning approached the HAL police station and filed a complaint.

Dr. Boralingaiah, DCP (south-east), told Deccan Chronicle, "I came to know about the incident early on Wednesday morning and immediately directed the HAL station inspector to look into the matter. The girl registered a formal complaint with HAL on Wednesday and a team has been closely working with the girl to identify the assaulters. They will be arrested soon."