E-Paper
Moral policing in Mangaluru: POCSO case registered
According to the police, the complainant has alleged that the accused objected to the boy and girl being together, saying it was against their religion
Bengaluru:
A case has been registered against a man for allegedly attacking a boy and a girl in Dakshina Kannada district, in a suspected incident of moral policing, police officers said on Sunday.
According to the police, the incident took place five days ago in Bajaru area under the Uppinangadi police station limits in the district and it came to light after a purported video of the incident went viral on social media. In the video, a man is seen threatening the boy and girl, both from Muslim community, for allegedly being in a romantic relationship.
HT could not independently verify the veracity of the video.
“Based on a complaint by the girl’s mother, we have registered a case against a man under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as well as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act,” Uppinangady police inspector B Rajesh told HT, adding they are investigating the matter from various angles, including moral policing.
He said efforts were being made to arrest the accused, who is also from the Muslim community. “We are also investigating the person who shared the video on social media, and based on our probe, we will take suitable action,” Rajesh added.
According to the police, the complainant has alleged that the accused objected to the boy and girl being together, saying it was against their religion. He tried to attack them and fled when the two minors raised an alarm.
The incident comes on the heels of another suspected moral policing incident on November 27, when members of some Hindu right-wing outfits targeted a woman walking with a man from a different community at in Mangaluru. The woman, a resident of Chikkamagaluru, and the man from Mangaluru were colleagues and worked in a sports store. .
Pandeshwar police promptly intervened to disperse the crowd and de-escalate the situation. A case was registered against the accused, who is still at large.
