BANGALORE: Four men have been arrested for assaulting and racially abusing a couple from Nagaland and their friend near Hessaraghatta on Saturday afternoon.
The arrested are Harish (27) of Doddabidarakallu in Peenya, Mahesh (27), Rathan (31) and Ananth (30), all from Thalaghattapura.
The police tracked the number plate of their car, which the couple had noted. The couple filed an FIR on Sunday and the arrests were made on Monday.
Rural Superintendent of Police Ramesh said rowdy sheets had been opened against the four at Doddabelavengala police station, where the FIR had been filed. “We also recommend that rowdy sheets be opened at the police stations near their residence so that the police keep an eye on them,” Ramesh said.
The Incident
The assault took place on Saturday afternoon when Merin Shitio, her husband Chumdemo Shitio and their friend, also a native of Nagaland, had gone on a drive to Nrithyagram. The residents of Kammanahalli were on their way home when they noticed a punctured tyre. The couple was changing the tyre when a car with four men approached.
In his statement to the police, Chumdemo said the men started abusing the couple, saying they were NRIs and asking, “What are you doing in our country?”
While Rathan and Harish started assaulting Chumdemo, Ananth and Mahesh sat back in the car to watch the ‘fun’.
The men also snatched the umbrella Merin was holding and started hitting Chumdemo with it. When Merin intervened, she too was slapped. Police said, “Merin started screaming for help and this is when Ananth and Mahesh got out of the car to pull the other two away.”
Trouble Filing Complaint
When the Shitios tried filing a complaint at Soladevanahalli police station, they were asked to go elsewhere.
The couple then called V S D’Souza, the nodal officer dealing with crimes against people from the North East.
“The Shitios had the (help line) number. I directed them to a police station,” D’Souza said. The city police recently held a meeting with people from the North East to allay their fears. The police have been asked to patrol areas that have a large North East population.