M'luru student assaulted over photo on social media

Unidentified anti-social elements kidnapped and assaulted a student of a private college in Surathkal on Sunday, in a case of moral policing.

The injured student, Mohammed Riyaz (20), has been admitted to hospital.  The assault took place a day after a photograph of a male student sleeping on the lap of girl students was circulated on WhatsApp and Facebook. Riyaz was one of the students in the photo.

A friend of Riyaz called him at 11 am on Sunday and asked to meet him. When the duo were speaking at Kana in Surathkal, a group arrived in a car and sought direction to a godown. When he was giving directions, Riyaz was pulled inside the car and then gagged.

“I did not know anyone in the car,” Riyaz told Deccan Herald in the hospital.  “In the car, they sought details about the boy who was seen sleeping on the lap of the girl students in the photo. They expressed displeasure at the photo and assaulted me... and they were objecting to me speaking with Hindu girl students,” said Riyaz.

The gang consumed alcohol and then drove towards Chelyaru. Around 3:30 pm, when the car reached Mukka, they dumped Riyaz.ACP (North Sub-Division) Ravi Kumar confirmed the incident and a case has been registered in Surathkal police station. 

Condemning the incident, a press release issued by the Dakshina Kannada unit of the DYFI said inaction by the police had led to the incident.