Tension prevailed in Gangavathi, a town in Karnataka’s Koppal district, after an Islamist youth, Zubair, allegedly assaulted a senior advocate and his wife when they objected to him urinating in public. The incident triggered outrage among members of the legal fraternity and local residents, who gathered outside the Gangavathi police station demanding immediate action against the accused.

Senior advocate and wife assaulted

As per Asianet News reports, the incident occurred in the Bamboo Bazaar area of Basaveshwara Nagar in Gangavathi. Senior advocate Prabhakar and his wife had gone out for a walk when they noticed a youth identified as Zubair allegedly urinating on the roadside. When the advocate and his wife objected to the act and asked him not to do so in a public place, the accused reportedly became enraged.

Attack on the couple

According to reports, Islamist Zubair first assaulted advocate Prabhakar during the confrontation. When Prabhakar’s wife intervened in an attempt to stop the attack, the accused Islamist allegedly assaulted her as well, escalating the situation and causing shock among locals.

Lawyers and public protest at police station

News of the incident quickly spread, prompting lawyers and members of the public to gather in large numbers outside the Gangavathi Police Station. The protesters condemned the assault on the senior advocate and demanded the immediate arrest of the accused. Former Member of Parliament Shivaramagouda and former MLA Munnavalli also arrived at the police station after learning about the incident. They joined the lawyers in demanding swift action and reportedly staged a sit-in inside the police station until the accused was taken into custody.

Accused arrested

Following the protests and mounting pressure from the legal community and political leaders, the police arrested the accused Islamist, Zubair. With the arrest, the tense situation in the area gradually eased.

The attack on a senior lawyer in broad daylight has raised serious concerns about law and order in Karnataka. When even members of the legal fraternity are not safe for simply questioning wrongdoing, it sends a worrying message that, under the present Congress government, ordinary citizens too may feel increasingly vulnerable, especially when such jihadis and extremists are dominating and moving freely without any fear of law and order authorities.

This is not an isolated incident. Just last week in Koppal, a Hindu man was brutally thrashed by an Islamist mob after he stepped in to help resolve a dispute involving his friend Azir’s family. When such attacks continue to occur one after another, a troubling question arises: where should Hindus go for protection? If people are being assaulted for simply intervening in disputes or questioning wrongdoing, it reflects a deeply worrying state of law and order.