BENGALURU: HAL police have arrested a software engineer for allegedly assaulting two men with a baseball bat after asking them, “Are you terrorists?” near AECS Layout in the early hours of August 6. The accused has been identified as Arun.
According to the FIR, the victims, Sandeep Kumar Gond and his friend Rohith Kumar, both software engineers, were waiting for another friend at around 4 am near an ice cream parlour in Block A.
Without any apparent reason or prior acquaintance, he allegedly asked them in Kannada, “Are you terrorists?” Rohith reportedly replied, “No, we are Indian citizens.” The accused allegedly threatened them and demanded that they show their identity cards.
When the duo questioned his authority to ask for their IDs, he allegedly became angry, abused them and attacked them with a baseball bat kept in his car. When Rohith took out his phone to record, he allegedly hit the phone with the bat and assaulted them by hitting them on their hands and legs and slapping them several times on their faces.
Police said Arun had consumed alcohol that night and that the incident allegedly occurred following a sudden provocation over parking.