Mangaluru: A new twist in the case of the man who was assaulted by a mob of right wing activists, and was stripped and thrashed him at Attavar, came to light when the girl who he was talking to, before the attack, alleged that the man had ‘harassed’ and ‘misbehave’ with her, making the attackers her protectors who ‘rescued her’.
The assault victim was caught by a group of right-wing activists, tied to a pole, stripped and assaulted for allegedly being in the company of the girl who is from another community.
Addressing a press meet in the city on Tuesday, August 25, the 21-year-old girl, alleged that the man had been harassing her, and on Monday, had held her hand forcibly and tried to pull her into his car.
“I have been an employee in the operations department of a supermarket at Attavar from the last three months where he (the assaulted man) also is working. We used to interact as we worked in the same supermarket and we would talk in connection to our work. He asked my mobile number and started sending messages to me and I used to reply as he was my senior. I come from a poor family and got this job with great difficulty, and I was afraid that if I did not reply to his messages, he would trouble me at work.
“One day when I was going home from work he offered to drop me at Nandigudde bus stop and I got into his car a little away from the work place. But on the way he misbehaved with me and I resisted his advances. However, he did not listen to my pleas and tried to touch me. I then told him to drop me at Bikarnakatte. After this, every time he saw me, he would say ‘Come, I will give you money’,” she claimed.
“Similarly, on August 24 too, at 5 pm when I was in the office, he sent me a message offering to drop me in his car. As I was under pressure from work, I accepted his offer. When I came out from the workplace, I saw him waiting in his car outside. He held my hand and forced me to get inside the car. I shouted for help and people who were around came to help and rescued me from his clutches. I also called my brother and told him about what had happened,” she said.
She urged the police to take strict action against him and ensure that he does not trouble her anymore. She also claimed that he was blackmailing her saying he has a video of her sitting in his car. In her complaint, she has urged the police to make him destroy the video.
The girl told the media persons that she had no idea that he was tied to a pole and beaten up, and came to know of it only on Tuesday. She also claimed that he did not know that the people in the mob belonged to right-wing outfits.
“He deserved beating from the public. The people who rescued me are in jail now. I do not know who they are and I do not know if they belong to any group,” she said.
“I need police protection as I fear for my life,” she urged.
When asked about the accusation of asking her alleged blackmailer for Rs 2,000, she claimed that she had never asked him for any money. “I am not so poor that I would ask money from anyone,” she said.
