Haveri Moral Policing SHOCKS Karnataka Again: Interfaith Couple Assaulted, 7 Arrested

Haveri, Karnataka: In yet another shocking case of moral policing that has come to light from the Haveri district of Karnataka, an interfaith couple was reportedly intimidated and thrashed by a group of men. The incident took place near Shiva Temple at Byadgi, when a group of seven-nine youths on motorcycles allegedly questioned and thrashed the couple, who were talking near the Shiva Temple. The miscreants reportedly objected to the woman talking to a Hindu boy and thrashed both of them.

The woman later filed a complaint with Byadgi police station. Based on her complaint, seven youths have been arrested, while two are still absconding.

A Reminder of Moral Policing That Shook Haveri

The incident comes close on the heels of another case of alleged moral policing and gang-rape of a woman that sent shockwaves across the state. On January 11, an interfaith couple was thrashed and assaulted in a hotel room, while the shocking incident was captured by the assailants. The videos later went viral as they circulated it across various social media platforms.

In a disturbing footage, six men can be seen knocking on the door of a room. Upon the door's opening, the assailants forcefully entered, targeting the couple. The accused reportedly hurled abuse at the couple and assaulted them, all while recording the distressing scene. The woman attempted to shield her identity by covering her face with a burqa during the horrifying incident.

The victim had claimed that the accused had raped her at three different places, some 8 km away from Hangal. The pieces of evidence found by the FSL team have been sent for a lab test. The victim in a statement had said that seven men attacked her and her partner in a hotel room and took her on a bike and raped her in a jungle at three different places. She also said that the accused pushed her out of the car near a bus stand in Hangal.

Demand of SIT Probe Grows Louder

Former CM Basavaraj Bommai has alleged the Karnataka government of inaction in the matter, questioning as to why Aftab, the main accused in the earlier case, wasn’t picked up earlier. He also questioned the alleged delay in action, claiming that section 376 D (gang-rape) of IPC was not added in the case earlier. Bommai had also demanded that a special investigation team (SIT) be formed to probe the case.