Moral policing? Muslim auto driver assaulted in Karnataka

In another case of moral policing, a rickshaw driver was assaulted by a group of unidentified miscreants near the Dharmasthala bus stand on Wednesday night.

Police sources said a girl student was waiting in Ujire in order to board a bus to Bengaluru. An autorickshaw driver Mohammad Asik offered to ferry her to the Dharmasthala bus stop. As Mohammed helped the student with her baggage, a group of youths assaulted him before fleeing from the spot.

Reportedly, Sangh Parivar activists waylaid the vehicle and then assaulted the driver, presumably because the passenger was Hindu.

Beltangady police registered a case under sections 143 (punishment for unlawful assembly), 147 (punishment for rioting), 341 (punishment for wrongful restrainment), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (punishment for provocation), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) read with 149 of IPC (guilty of being a member of an unlawful assembly guilty of offence commit­ted in prosecution of common object).

CM Siddaramaiah, who had visited Mangaluru on August 1, had given instructions to law enforcement to take strict action against those involved in moral policing acts.

(With PTI inputs)