MANGALURU: A migrant labourer from Jharkhand was brutally assaulted by four persons here after they allegedly accused him of being a Bangladeshi national and demanded that he produce identity documents, the city police commissioner has said.
The victim, Girija Ansari, has been working in Mangaluru for the past 10–15 years, staying in the city for about four to six months every year for employment.
According to police, the accused, identified as four Hindus, made “unwanted and unnecessary comments” and insisted that Ansari prove his nationality. When he repeatedly asserted that he was an Indian citizen and not a Bangladeshi, the men allegedly assaulted him with his own work tools, striking him on the head and causing severe bleeding.
The city police commissioner, Sudheer Kumar Reddy, said a local woman intervened and rescued Ansari from the attackers. Being a migrant labourer, Ansari was reportedly afraid to approach the police and returned home without filing a complaint. The incident later came to the notice of the police after some local leaders informed authorities.
The commissioner said that the facts have been verified and confirmed that Ansari is an Indian citizen who had come to Mangaluru for work.
“A case under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code is being registered. All the accused have been identified and instructions have been issued to arrest them immediately,” the commissioner said.