B.A. Samvartha - The Hindu
MANGALORE, Mar 19: A few acts of kindness during group clashes at Kaup on Sunday saved the lives of people caught in the melee.
Some of the victims who were undergoing treatment in a hospital on Tuesday told The Hindu how they saw two sides of human nature on that day. Aarif, Ahraf, Thaufeek, Sirajuddin, Hameed, Sarfaraz, Navman and Rajesh, all from Mulky in Dakshina Kannada, were returning by a car from Brahmavar after a cricket tournament on Sunday. They were stuck in traffic jam at Kaup.
According to Hameed, a group of 30 to 40 people returning from the Hindu Samajotsava surrounded the car and asked if its occupants were Muslims. They saw a sticker on the windshield that said “Masha-Allah” and broke the windshield. “We opened the doors and tried to run from the spot. However, they caught and thrashed us,” said Hameed. Rajesh showed the attackers that his ears were pierced and he had a sacred thread, to prove his religion, despite which he was attacked.
Hameed managed to get away. He was offered shelter in the house of a Hindu family. Aarif ran towards a residential area and collapsed in the courtyard of a house belonging to a Hindu family. He said that two women offered him shelter and gave him water. “They later took me to a hospital for first aid,” he said.
Hameed said, “Hindutva people attacked us and Hindus saved us.” Soori Shetty, a local resident, ensured that all of us were taken to hospital, Mr. Sirajuddin added.
Speaking to The Hindu, Shetty said, “Human life is more important than religion.”
A case was registered by the Kaup police on Tuesday based on the statement of Mr. Hameed.