DK SP warns communal forces after attack on Muslim rickshaw drivers

Mangaluru, Jun 12: Bhushan Gulabrao Borase, superintendent of police of Dakshina Kannada, has warned the communal and anti-social forces against disrupting peace in the district in the holy month of Ramadan.

Mr Borse, under whose leadership a peace meeting was organised in Savanoor village of Puttur taluk on Saturday, a day after brutal attack on two Muslim auto-rickshaw drivers by the miscreants belonging to another community, urged the people not to give communal tinge to each and every incident.

He promised to conduct an impartial probe into the Friday's attack that triggered communal tension in the region.

Critical condition

Meanwhile, the two victims-Mohammed Asif (22) and Khalandar (24), both residents of Savanur- have been admitted to two spate private hospitals. The condition of Asif, who was attacked with swords and iron rods, is still critical. He is in the ICU.

Khalandar, who is in a condition to communicate, has identified the assailants as Monappa Gowda, Darnappa Gowda, Kushalappa, Babu Gowda, Poovani Gowda, his three children Prasad, Balakirshina and Keshava.

Attack by gang

According to the complaint lodged at a the jurisdictional police station, Monappa Gowda, a resident of Idyadi near Savanur, had hired Asif's auto rickshaw on Friday evening.

When the auto-rickshaw reached near Monappa's house, he asked the driver to wait on promise of fetching money from the house. Meantime, Poovani Gowda and his son Prasad, approached the auto-rickshaw and attacked the driver after an argument. He managed to escape and broke his fast at a mosque.

After spending some time in the mosque, he decided to return home. As he had to go through the same route, he requested his friend Khalandar, who is also an auto-rickshaw driver, to accompany him.

When the duo reached Idyadi, the same assailants along with few others waylaid their auto-rickshaw and toppled it. They attacked the duo with lethal weapons like sword and iron rods.

Two held

Meanwhile, a team of police attached to Kadaba police station managed to arrest Poovani Gowda (62) and Monappa Gowda (67) for attack on rickshaw drivers. Cases have been registered against seven persons in connection with the incident.

Counter complaint

Soon after the victims lodged a complaint, the wife of Poovani Gowda, one of the assailants, also lodged a complaint with the same police station accusing the victim of attempting to outrage her modesty.

In her complaint she claimed that Asif tried to snatch her mangala sutra and misbehaved with another woman, when they intervened during a fight between Asif and Poovani Gowda.