Bantwal: Journalist attacked by group of 40 for helping woman

Mounesh Vishwakarma
Pics: Kishore Peraje
Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal

Bantwal, Nov 27: A journalist belonging to a Kannada evening daily was allegedly brutally attacked by a group on Wednesday November 27 at Madakatte in Kolnad here. The journalist, V T Prasad, was admitted to a private hospital in Puttur with serious injuries and then shifted to a Mangalore hospital for advanced treatment.

Prasad was attending the annual day programme at a school near his house when a group of around 40 persons called him outside and allegedly assaulted him. They then took him to a nearby house, belonging to a woman by name Aleema, and again beat him up brutally, it is learnt. As a result, Prasad lost consciousness. The police who received information about the attack rushed to the spot and rescued Prasad and admited him to hospital.

Vittal police arrested Siddique of lower Barebettu and Abdul Jabbar in connection to the incident.

Prasad in his complaint stated that he was attacked by the group as he had come forward to help a poor woman by name Aleema who was residing in the neighbourhood. There was no one to help her build a house and hence Prasad had contacted some donors and assisted her,  which did not go well with the group and they assaulted him, he said.

Sources said that the group which attacked him had given him wooden logs from the remains of an old house to build the house for Aleema, but Prasad did not use them as they were in poor condition. The group took offence at this and hence carried out the attack, it is said.

"The group of attackers demanded to know why I had assisted the woman. Among the attackers, I recognised Siddique, Bariq Kudtamugeru, Sharif, Abdul Jabbar and Abdul Lathif. There were more than 40 people in the group," Prasad said.

The driver of the ambulance which took Prasad to hospital said that an unidentified man had stood in front of the ambulance and refused to give way. A complaint will be filed against him, the driver said.

Meanwhile, sources said that a woman of Barebettu filed a complaint against V T Prasad alleging him of attempted rape. She got admitted to a hospital in Mangalore, it is learnt.

Bantwal journalists' union and locals have decided to hold a protest on Thursday November 28 demanding arrest of assailants and against the rape complaint which they said was motivated to dilute the case against the attackers.