CHIKKAMAGALURU: Bajrang Dal activists allegedly assaulted a youth from a minority community in Aldur town on Thursday evening for having a relationship with a minor girl from another community and raping her.
The man, a choreographer and resident of Santher Maidan in Aldur, became familiar with the minor girl who was attending his dance classes. Hindu activists alleged that he had lured the girl in the name of love.
The parents of the girl, from Doddamagaarvalli, near Aldur town, registered a complaint at Aldur police station, stating that the accused had duped the innocent girl to fall in love with him. The girl’s father stated that his elder daughter had been attending dance classes at the man’s institute for the last three years, and the dance master had taken her to Murudeshwar, Belur and Mangaluru, and raped her. He had blackmailed her and threatened to post her videos and photos online if she disclosed their affair to the family, the father said in the complaint, adding that she should get justice.
The man’s family, too, filed a counter-complaint, accusing CD Shivakumar, Madhu of Chikamagaarvalli, Prajwal of Aldur, Parikshith of Galigandi, Ranjith, Adarsh and Karthik of Arenahalli, and Swaroop of Kabbina Sethuve of thrashing him.
Police arrested seven Hindu activists on charges of assault. Based on the complaints and counter-complaints, Aldur police booked a case against the man under the POCSO Act and produced him in court, which remanded him in judicial custody.
The accused Hindu activists were also produced before court on Friday. Hundreds of Hindu workers gathered near the court and alleged that police had booked a false case against the activists. Activist Raghu Sakleshpur said their fight against ‘love jihad’ will continue.