How a hatemonger used a schoolgirl to concoct a stabbing story to create unrest in Honnavar

Honnavar, Dec 18: The “attack” on a schoolgirl, which led to communal tension in the town last week in Honnavar taluk of Uttara Kannada district, has taken a new twist with the girl confessing that no one had attacked her and, injuries on her hand were self-inflicted.

On December 14, Kavya Chandrashekar Naika, a class IX student and a resident of Magodu Kodlagadde village, had claimed that unidentified men attacked her while she was on her way to school and fled on a bike.

She had claimed that she was injured with a knife-like weapon and one of the attackers had a moustache and beard. The news about the incident went viral and triggered tension in Honnavar, which was returning to normalcy following violence in the aftermanth of the death of Paresh Mesta, a teenager belonging to Hindu community.

Addressing a press meet here on Sunday, Superintendent of Police Vinay V Patil said that the girl, who was under severe mental stress, had inflicted injuries and started narrating a false story concocted by a shopkeeper (suspected to be a saffron activist), who provided her a bandage.

"Kavya walks 8 km from her home for school. A boy from Magodu village, identified as Ganesha Eshwara Naik, used to stop her on the way, insisting that she travel by his car or bike. Kavya was being harassed this way for six months. On December 8, the boy had threatened the girl that she would come with him only if something bad happened to her. Kavya brought the matter to the notice of her parents. Her parents, in turn, alerted gram panchayat members and a local leader, who had promised to warn Ganesha," the SP said.

The girl did not go to school for four days in view of the communal violence. She had called her friend over phone on the night of December 13 and came to know that there were tests in the school. She was worried since she had not studied. She was also under stress in view of the threat by Ganesha.

"She was worried that the honour of her family would be at stake if she is raped by Ganesha and hence decided to end her life in case of such an event. While on the way to school on December 14, she injured herself with the thorns of a lemon plant. But, soon she realised she was wrong and decided to go to school."

Shopkeeper spreads lie

After coming to Magodu, she asked her friend to bring a bandage cloth. Her friend brought her a small plaster, which was not covering her injuries. Meanwhile, a shopkeeper called Kavya to his shop.

Without seeking any information from the girl, he claimed that two persons whom he saw going towards Magodu last night, had caused the injuries. Villagers who gathered there came to the conclusion that people of Muslim community were responsible for the incident, the SP said.

"The truth came to light after Kavya was questioned in the presence of the counsellor of Mahila Santwana Kendra. The girl's statement has been recorded in the court also," the SP explained. He added that Ganesha had been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and police teams were out to arrest him. Interestingly, Ganesha belongs to a BJP backed family.