In an incident that occurred on March 21st in Kumaraswamy Layout, Bengaluru, the local police have arrested three Islamist individuals, including a father-son duo, for breaking into an Hindu auto driver’s house and assaulting him over a parking dispute. Based on the reports from Bangalore Now, the arrested individuals have been identified as Syed Taha (24), his father Karim (52), and their friend Afrid Pasha (26). The altercation took place on Thursday night, resulting in injuries to Sukumar, the auto driver, and his family members.
The confrontation stemmed from an argument over the parking of auto in the vicinity. Sukumar and Syed Taha, both auto drivers residing in neighboring houses, engaged in a dispute around 8:30 pm on Thursday. The situation escalated quickly, leading to an attack by Islamist Syed Taha, accompanied by his father and friend, on Sukumar and his family members.
Following the incident, local residents alerted the police, who arrived promptly at the scene. However, the accused Islamist mob managed to flee before the authorities could apprehend them. Sukumar, along with his wife and son, who sustained injuries in the assault, were rushed to the hospital for treatment. Fortunately, they were discharged after receiving medical attention overnight.
A case was registered based on Sukumar’s complaint, leading to a swift police operation that culminated in the arrest of the three suspects. Earlier, the incident had garnered attention when outgoing BJP MP Pratap Simha shared a video of the altercation, initially labeling it as ‘communal.’ However, the police tried to conclude that the incident was not communal in nature.
Was there a communal motive behind the altercation?
Auto driver Sukumar alleged and suspected that the attack might be because he had placed a Hindu Dhvaja in front of his house during Ayodhya Prana Prathishta, and because he has been following Modi and sharing Hindu-related posts on social media. Sukumar alleged that he might have been targeted for these reasons by the Islamist mob. Sukumar questioned the feasibility of the alleged suspicion, pointing out that it seemed implausible for people performing namaz in the nearby area to suddenly attack them without proper planning or motive.
Islamist perpetrators harassed Hindu women
The wife of auto driver Sukumar reported to the media that she had been assaulted and attacked by the Islamist perpetrators, who also targeted the children of the family. A mob of Islamist individuals then arrived and launched an attack on them. Shivaprakash Devaraju, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South), confirmed that a group of 15 individuals, including Kareem, Taha, and Pasha, were involved in the altercation with Sukumar and his family. The dispute, initially sparked by a parking disagreement, escalated into a physical confrontation involving multiple individuals from both parties.
The arrested individuals have been charged with assaulting Sukumar and his family members and have been remanded to judicial custody. Bangalore has emerged as a hotspot for such incidents in recent times, as evidenced by recent events such as assault against Hindu shopkeeper for playing Hanuman Chalisa.
