BHATKAL (UTTARA KANNADA): A Hindu woman and her Muslim co-worker were taken to the Bhatkal Rural Police Station on Wednesday night after right-wing activists questioned the pair when their car broke down on the Sagar-Bhatkal Road in the coastal town of Bhatkal.
The two, who work together at a supermarket, were travelling in the car when it broke down around 9 pm.
Passersby noticed the pair and alerted activists belonging to right-wing organisations, who questioned them. During the interaction, the woman allegedly told them that she had been forcibly brought there by her co-worker.
“We sent them to Bhatkal Rural Police station but when they reached there, the man lodged a complaint against four of us saying he was assaulted by us,” said Srikanth Naik, a local BJP leader.
The Hindu activists alleged that the police initially did not register the complaint by the woman but registered an FIR against them based on the man’s assault charge. Enraged, Hindu activists then protested in front of the police station, leading to tension in the town.
The police have registered an FIR based on the woman’s complaint that she was kidnapped and molested by her co-worker, Shahid.
“The incident occurred on Wednesday. An investigation is on,” said MN Deepan, Superintendent of Police, Uttara Kannada. Sources said Shahid wanted to have a relationship with the woman. On Wednesday, he had asked her to come along with him and took her to Sagar-Bhatkal Road.