Punjalkatte police in Dakshina Kannada district arrested three persons of a five-member group on the charge of wrongfully restraining a group of six paramedical students who had gone to Karinjeshwara temple in Bantwal on August 26.
The temple, which is on Karinja hill, off the Mangaluru-Bengaluru National Highway, is among the places people from Mangaluru and other parts of Karnataka visit to enjoy the scenic beauty of the thick forest abutting the hill.
According to the police, six final-year paramedical students (three boys and three girls) of A.J. Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangaluru, had gone to the hill in three separate motorcycles on August 26. The visit to the hill was part of a trip to multiple places in Bantwal. After taking photographs and visiting the temple, the group went down to the pond at the foothills around 6 p.m. where they were stopped by the five-member group who questioned them. On learning that the students belong to different religions, the group questioned the students about the purpose of their visit to the hill.
Soon, police rushed to the spot. Following a complaint by a girl student, police registered a case against the five-member group under Section 341 (wrongful restraint) of the Indian Penal Code.
As news about the incident spread, people belonging to two different religions gathered outside the police station on August 26 night.
Police arrested three of the accused on August 27. They are searching for the remaining members of the group, police said.
