DAVANGERE: A minor boy, who is a school dropout, was tied to an arecanut tree and beaten in his private parts at Asthapanahalli near Nallur in Channagiri taluk for allegedly stealing arecanut.
Another boy who tried to help the victim was also attacked by the same group. The boy was beaten up with a drip pipe, leaving his private parts red. The minor, who belongs to the Hakki-Pikki community, was attacked by youth from the same community.
After the boy’s grandfather filed a complaint, the Channagiri police registered an FIR against nine people — Subhash (23), Lucky (21), Darshan (22), Parashu (25), Shivadarshan (23), Harish (25), Patti Raju (20), Bhuni (18) and Sudhan alias Madhusudhan (32). One person has been arrested.
A child in conflict with the law: SP
One person has been arrested, while the search is on for the rest.
A video of the incident has gone viral on social media sites. Superintendent of Police Uma Prashanth said, “The video is seven days old. We took the issue seriously, went to the root of it and booked the FIR on the complaint filed by the boy’s relative against nine people.”
She said that as the boy is 16 years old and was involved in a theft, he is a “child in conflict with the law.” “We advised the parents to bring the boy for counselling as we want to ensure that no such incidents will take place in the future,” she added.