Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (JD)
Udupi, Jun 6: In a shocking incident, local goons violently attacked the huts of the highly vulnerable nomadic Shillekyata community living near the banks of the Gulwadi River in Kundapur on Thursday, June 6. The attackers, armed with weapons, barged into the huts without regard for the women and children present, causing severe injuries and chaos. The Udupi District Committee of the Coastal Occupational Nomadic Shillekyata Rights has demanded strict action from the police department against the perpetrators under stringent sections of the law.
Recently, while the Shillekyata community members were fishing in the Gulwadi river, local goons had imposed a ban on entering the water and issued life threats. Despite reporting this to the local police department and the fisheries department, no adequate action was taken. On Thursday at around 10:30 AM, while the community members were fishing, a group of four to five individuals armed with deadly weapons stormed into their huts and launched a brutal attack. They assaulted the elderly, women, and children with sticks, causing severe injuries. The women were physically assaulted to the point of bleeding, and their belongings were forcibly taken. Additionally, the attackers subjected them to casteist abuse and threatened them with death if they did not leave the area. The assailants also attempted to destroy their huts, which lack basic amenities.
Despite previous complaints to the district administration and the police department regarding the issues faced by the nomadic community, the lack of proper response has emboldened the local goons to target and violently attack the community members directly. Therefore, the police department and district administration must immediately provide protection to the families of the nomadic Shillekyata community and take stringent action against the perpetrators under severe sections of the law. The DYFI state leader and honorary president of the Coastal Occupational Nomadic Shillekyata Community, Santosh Bajal, along with Udupi District Fishermen's Association leader Kaviraj Kanchan, emphasized in a press release that if proper protection is not provided to this community, a protest will be organized in front of the concerned department in the coming days.
Santosh Bajal, who contacted the Udupi district superintendent of police via phone regarding the atrocity against the nomadic community, discussed the issue and received assurance from the official that appropriate protection will be provided, and strict action will be taken against the culprits.
A case in this regard has been filed in Kundapur rural police station against Mithun, Santhosh, Deepak, Raju and others under IPC 143,147,148, 427, 323, 324, 354, 504, 506, 159.