BENGALURU: A 26-year-old shopkeeper was attacked by a group of six men for reportedly playing ‘Hanuman Chalisa’, claiming that the loud music will disturb ‘Azan’ prayers. The incident happened at Siddannagalli in Halasuru Gate police limits on Sunday between 6 pm and 6.40 pm. The police, however, said that during their investigation they found that the victim was neither playing ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ nor the fight was over the music disturbing ‘Azan’ prayers.
The video of the incident went viral and netizens took to social media and poured in their comments. Taking to X, BJP condemned the incident, saying the Congress government in the state is ‘anti-Hindu’.
The victim, G Mukesh, a resident of Cubbonpet, filed a police complaint against Suleman, Shanavaz, Rohith, Dyanish, Taruna and others at 10.30 pm on Sunday. Mukesh was taken to Victoria Hospital for treatment.
Three arrested for assaulting shopkeeper
On Monday, Mukesh told the media that the accused attacked him for playing ‘Hanuman Chalisa’. “I was at my shop when the accused threatened me to stop playing the bhajans as it would disturb their ‘Azan’ prayers. When I did not listen, they threatened to stab me. Then they attacked me after pulling me out of the shop. The accused recently attacked another person in the same locality and the police did not act,” he alleged.
In the CCTV footage, one of the accused is first seen attacking Mukesh. The victim too is seen retaliating before he was pulled out of the shop and beaten with a speaker and weapons.
According to the FIR registered by the police, the victim was at his shop, Krishna Telecom, in Siddannagalli when the accused picked up a fight with him for playing music loud. As the verbal altercation escalated, the accused pulled him out of the shop and attacked him with weapons.
The police have arrested three accused Suleman, Shanavaz and Rohith. “Our investigations did not find any proof to support the allegations made by the victim to the media. Even the complaint does not mention the said accusation,” said an officer, who is part of the investigation.
The Halasuru Gate police booked the accused for criminal intimidation (IPC 506), intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace (IPC 504), unlawful assembly (IPC 149 ) and attempt to murder ( IPC 307).