Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Feb 9: In a shocking incident that came to light a week after it occured, a man was allegedly assaulted by a group in a private hotel in the city. The police who took him away soon after the incident also allegedly assaulted and harassed him.
Manoj Prabhu, who lives in Canada, had come down to his hometown Mangaluru to participate in a community festival as well as to attend to his ailiing father. On February 2, he and other family members dined out. At around 11 pm, while the others went home, Prabhu took an auto rickshaw and on the way stopped at a hotel in Kodialbail in order to get a takeout for a late night snack.
While at the cafe in the hotel, of which he had been a regular customer, Prabhu decided to step out for a while to smoke a cigarette. Realizing that he had forgotten his lighter, he asked the waiter for one, but was told that the hotel did not keep lighters as smoking was prohibited inside. He then asked a group of three, who said they did not smoke. He next approached a group of 8-10 men, but instead of politely turning him down, the group allegedly started abusing him with foul words. Prabhu said that he apologised to the group and left.
However, before he could open the door of the cafe, the group of 8-10 men came towards him and allegedly "started pushing, slapping, throwing punches, kicking" him in the gut, and forced him out of the door and into the lobby and the reception area of the hotel, Prabhu said.
Prabhu tried to fight back, but in vain. "I started cussing at them and was screaming so they would stop but neither they nor the manager of the hotel did anything. Instead they proceeded to shove me outside the main door to the main entrance. The main culprits, about 3-4 goons, were asked to go back into (the cafe) and their minions stood there with their phones held up taking photos and videos of the scene," Prabhu said in his post.
Prabhu demanded an apology from the group, but instead the hotel manager allegedly harassed him, he said.
At that moment, Prabhu noticed a police control room (PCR) van and thought the police would finally rescue him. However, the cops who arrived also started allegedly abusing him. The hotel manager had in the meanwhile called the cops, Prabhu said.
Prabhu alleged that he was forcibly lifted into the boot of the PCR van and some of the cops and others who were around started kicking and beating him up again with sticks and bare hands. "I, scared of more beatings, jumped from the boot to the back seat and the two cops told me they will drop me home.But, NO!," he said.
It was then that the police too began allegedly harassing him. "With the child-lock enabled back doors, they drove to their police station, Kadri police station on Bejai main road. Once we reached, the cops dragged me like a dog on the ground, 3 more cops joined in and took me up to the 1st floor of the police station. I realised later that only the ground floor had CCTV cameras. They took away my phone and wallet and a total of 7 cops with heeled shoes and sticks kicked and beat me up for the next hour and a half. With my face on the floor they stomped on me, swung the sticks like I am a drum kit. They finally got me to the ground floor. I asked for a glass of water and/or requested them to call my father. But, NO!!" Prabhu said.
"They allowed neither and kept laughing at me, poking me while they drank water, ate and moved around inside the station. Never have I felt this helpless in my life," he said.
The hotel manager was then called in, and the cops allegedly insisted that he write a complaint blaming Prabhu for creating a nuisance. "As he (hotel manager) finished and got up to leave, I pleaded with him one last time to take me along. All he said was 'I cannot do anything, the cops will take care of you', which I will never forget in my life," he said.
The cops continued to harass him, Prabhu said, until finally at around 2.45 am, his father was called, and he arrived in five minutes. However, the ordeal was not over.
"One of the two cops who was up at the time tried to blame me, and told my father I was drunk and I was cursing at people inside the restaurant. My father clearly told him that my son is not capable of that and told him that this is not in my personality. They had already prepared a statement which blamed me for indecency and forced my father to sign it which he politely declined. They told him that they would have to keep me in the police station until 10 am if he did not agree to sign. Under duress he did as they asked and we left the police station at 4 am," Prabhu said.
He further said that due to the assault, he now has bruises all over his body, and his iPhone and gold ring have been taken away. He also posted pictures of the bruises.
Prabhu later registered an official complaint with the deputy commissioner of police (DCP crime).
"My intention of writing this post is NOT to spread hate against any authority or group which is established to protect civilians but to keep a record of the individuals who wear costumes and do not respect it. These are the people who do not respect a fellow human being," Prabhu said in his post, adding, "The goons/customers at the hotel who pick fight for reasons that is beyond logic and reason, these are people who work out at the gym and feel powerful."
He also said that he remembers the names of all seven police officers, and has figured out names of two out of the eight or ten people.
The assault has meant that Prabhu would be unable to travel back to Canada immediately, as he has filed a complaint. He said his fiancee would join him in Mangaluru and together they would fight for justice.
When contacted by daijiworld, DCP (crime) Laxmi Ganesh declined to comment and said, "I do not know anything about it. I shall look into the matter and investigate."
When daijiworld contacted the hotel, an assistant office manager said that they were not aware of what exactly happened, and that the incident took place outside the hotel. "Whatever happened, it happened outside the hotel, and had nothing to do with the hotel," he said.
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