Kids among 6 Muslim pilgrims attacked by Bajrang Dal while taking bath in river

Mangaluru, Jun 3: A group of over a dozen miscreants, owing allegiance to a saffron outfit, allegedly thrashed a group of Muslim pilgrims who had come to Kajur Dargah near Belthangady on the outskirts of the city on Thursday.

The incident has created a tense atmosphere in Kajur-Kolli. The police has tightened the security in the area. Dakshina Kannada SP Bhushan Gulabrao Borase and DySP Bhaskar Rai also visited the spot to take stock of the situation.

Five among the six member group of pilgrims attacked by the alleged Bajrang Dal activists are minors.

The local police gave the names of the injured as Mohammed Misbah (16), Saifuddin (15), Nizamuddin (15), Rahuddin (14), Fazil (17) and Munaf (21), all hailing from Balehonnur in Chikkamagaluru district.

According to the victims, who have lodged a complaint with jurisdictional Belthangady police station, they were taking bath in Netravati River near Kajur Dargah when the gang of miscreants targeted them.

The miscreants who came by an auto-rickshaw bearing registration number KA 21 7738 surrounded all the six pilgrims. Two of the miscreants began to thrash them while others enjoyed the scene.

It is learnt that the main reason for the miscreants' anger was that the place where the pilgrims were taking bath was known as Devara Gundi' and according to local Bajrang Dal activists the entry is restricted to Hindus alone.

After thrashing the six pilgrims on the river bank, the gang took them to a nearby Hindu temple. Before releasing the pilgrims, the miscreants snatched their money in the temple and warned them against complaining to police.