The Karnataka Dalit Sangharsha Samiti (DSS) staged a protest in front of the District Police Office here on Tuesday demanding the immediate arrest of those involved in the attack on eight youths, including Dalits, at Narnadu near Kukkehalli village in Udupi district on November 14.
The eight youths were attacked by a gang of nearly 35 persons. One Dalit youth Nagaraj, who suffered severe injuries, was admitted to the District Government Hospital. The DSS alleged that the Bajrang Dal was behind the attack.
Jayan Malpe, District DSS convener, said the police swung into action when any person belonging to high castes was attacked in the district. But it maintained a cunning silence when Dalits were attacked. The gang of 30 to 35, which attacked the eight youths who were travelling in a multiutility vehicle near Kukkehalli, had admitted that they belonged to the Bajrang Dal.
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After six days since the attack, the police had not arrested anyone, Mr. Malpe said. The gang had snatched away a mobile phone and a gold chain from Mr. Nagaraj. Instead of building a strong case against the attackers, the police had done everything possible to weaken the case. This was nothing but cheating of the Dalits. The sub-inspector of the Hiriyadka police station, where the case was registered, should be suspended and the Bajrang Dal activists should be arrested immediately, Mr. Malpe said.
Writer G. Rajashekhar said the police in Udupi district was at the mercy of local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs and the State government.
All the police stations in the coastal region had become dens of the Bajrang Dal. The sub-inspector of the Hiriyadka police station had behaved rudely when DSS activists had asked him about the inaction of the police in the case, he said.
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Writer K. Phaniraj said the Bajrang Dal had been targeting not just the minority communities but also weaker sections. The Bajrang Dal did not want the governmental or constitutional machinery to function in the coastal districts.