A group of Hindutva activists allegedly assaulted two youths from Assam after calling them “terrorists from Bangladesh”, near Alduru in Chikkamagaluru taluk on Monday. One of them, Ohijul Sikdar (32), has been injured.
According to a complaint lodged with the Alduru police, 10 activists allegedly pushed him and hit him on his head, back and limbs. He was lying on the road unconscious till the police reached the spot. They rushed him to the government hospital in Alduru and later to the district hospital in Chikkamagaluru, where he is recovering.
The incident occurred around 8.30 p.m. when around 60 people from Assam, all hired by various estates as plantation workers, reached Alduru town in a private bus. The workers from Assam had reached Bengaluru by train. As there was no KSRTC service due to the strike, they had hired a private bus.
As they were walking towards their respective estates, a group of Hindutva activists allegedly stopped them and asked them to go back to their native. They picked up an argument with two of them and beat them up, according to the complainant. The police said that only Ohijul Sikdar was seriously injured, while another worker, Tamsorali, did not need treatment.
Following the incident, the police registered a case on the charge of attempt to murder and rioting against 10 people. Six of the accused — Tejas, Sharat, Shivakumar, Manu Kumar, Rohit, and Sudarshan — were arrested by Tuesday morning.
“Four of the accused are absconding,” said K. Santosh Babu, Chikkamagaluru Superintendent of Police. “We have found the voter identity cards of the workers. We will send copies of them to the authorities concerned in Assam to verify,” the officer said.
