Bengaluru: Four men were arrested on Friday in a moral policing case that surfaced from Karnataka's Bengaluru. The arrested people have been identified as Md Mohsin, Md Mansoor, Md Afridi, and Waseem Khan. A group of Muslim men allegedly harassed burqa-clad woman and her Hindu male friend. The incident took place on Wednesday (9 April) in the Chandra Layout area.
The Burqa-clad girl was sitting on a scooty with her male friend, who belongs to another faith.
How The Incident Unfolded?
The group allegedly confronted the duo and questioned the girl aggressively, asking, “Why are you sitting on a bike with a Hindu boy while wearing a burqa?” and “Don’t you have any shame or family honor?”
The group reportedly demanded her family's phone number and tried to intimidate her. The girl reportedly responded by saying, “He is my classmate. Why should I give you my family’s contact details?”
The group then questioned the man why he was meeting the woman of a different faith.
The situation escalated when the men attempted to assault the boy and allegedly recorded a video of the two sitting on the bike, which they later shared on social media in an attempt to shame them.
Police Action
Based on the girl's statement, the police registered a case and promptly arrested four individuals involved in the incident. An investigation is currently underway. The police have also urged the public not to take the law into their own hands and respect individual privacy.
Karnataka Minister Reacts To Incident
Reacting to the incident, Minister in the state government Priyank Kharge said, the government will "not tolerate" any moral policing in the state. He also said that Karnataka is a "progressive state" and is not "Bihar, Uttar Pradesh or Madhya Pardesh".
"This is not Bihar or Uttar Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh. Karnataka is a progressive state," he said quoted by NDTV.
A detailed investigation has been launched into the matter.
