On Thursday afternoon, a flower seller was assaulted and stabbed by six attackers belonging to a minority community at New Mandli locality in Karnataka’s Shivamogga.
According to reports, 22-year-old Madhu, a resident of New Mandli locality in Shivamogga, was returning home after delivering flowers to a merchant in the flower market. A group of six people from the Muslim community, led by Tauseef, stopped him and assaulted him mercilessly.
Reportedly, a few months back, Madhu had objected to Tauseef and his gang for smoking ‘ganja’ in a public place and had even registered a complaint against them. Enraged by this, Tauseef and the gang may have stabbed Madhu with sharp weapons in broad daylight on the streets of Shivamogga on Thursday, SP Lakshmi Prasad said.
Apparently, Madhu, who suffered from a kidney ailment and had got operated on a few weeks back, was stabbed at the same spot. Madhu escaped from the area on his bike and reached a local hospital. Later, he was admitted to McGann Hospital.
According to journalist Chiru Bhat, the attackers had long sword kind of weapons with them, and they even chased Madhu for a few meters.
Madhu(pic 1) has been brought to McGANN Hospital in #Shivamogga immediately after the attack. As per the victim, the attackers had long sword kind of weapons with them. He says they even chased him a few meters. As he was on the bike, he managed to escape the scene.
— Chiru Bhat | ಚಿರು ಭಟ್ (@mechirubhat) April 7, 2022
3/n pic.twitter.com/g4ZdSpIasM
Several Hindu groups and activists rushed to the hospital to check on Madhu. They alleged that Madhu was attacked due to his religion and demanded strong action against Tauseef and his gang.
Meanwhile, the Shivamogga police have registered the case. Four people have been arrested so far in the case.
The attack on Madhu comes a month after a Muslim mob had stabbed Hindu activist Harsha in Shiivamogga to stoke communal tensions. Harsha was stabbed to death by a group of Muslim youths on the night of February 20 at Kamat petrol bunk in Karnataka’s Shivamogaa district. He was from Seegehatti and worked as a tailor.
Harsha was associated with the Hindu organisation Bajrang Dal, and he was spotted wearing saffron shawls to protest in support of the school and college dress regulations. According to a friend of the Bajrang Dal activist, Harsha had been under observation for some weeks, and the murder was a “well-planned plot.” Islamists reportedly threatened him in 2015 for allegedly ‘blasphemous’ social media posts.
The cold-blooded murder of the Bajrang Dal activist sparked widespread demonstrations, compelling the district government to enforce a curfew and close educational institutions.
