MBBS dropout arrested for moral policing in Bengaluru

An MBBS dropout has been arrested for heckling a Muslim woman travelling with a colleague from another community.  A video of the suspect, Zakir Ahmed, of Govindapura, Northeast Bengaluru, heckling the woman, who wore a full-face burqa, was widely shared on Twitter. 

In the video, the suspect is seen asking the 21-year-old woman to remove her burqa if she wished to travel with a man from another community.

The woman replies that it was her choice to wear the burqa and that he had no right to comment on it. She says the man was her colleague and was dropping her off at home. She later filed a police complaint after the video went viral. 

A police officer investigating the case confirmed that the woman and her colleague were returning home when the incident unfolded.

“Ahmed intercepted them when he saw the guy wearing a sacred thread, usually worn by Hindu men. He scolded the woman for roaming with a guy from another community,” the officer said.

Ahmed, who was arrested on Sunday, has been remanded to judicial custody.

“Ahmed was studying MBBS abroad. He discontinued the course and arrived in Bengaluru to stay with his sister,” police said.