Karnataka: BJP workers stabbed, thrashed for ‘raising slogans’, 3 held

Mangaluru, Jun 10 (PTI) Two BJP cadres were stabbed, while another was allegedly thrashed as they were celebrating the swearing-in of the BJP-led NDA government by a group of youths in Dakshina Kannada district, police said.

According to Mangaluru city police commissioner Anupam Agarwal, a group of revellers had shouted 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' as they passed along a road near a mosque on Sunday.

The youths who had gathered in front of the Boliyar Mosque in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada district objected to the slogans, but the revellers moved on. The youths followed them and targeted three persons who had raised slogans and singled them out, chased them around and attacked them with knives, police said.

The injured have been identified as Harish Anchan, Nandakumar, and Krishnakumar. The former two were stabbed with knives while the latter was beaten up. All three have been hospitalised.

The police have arrested three persons, and further investigation is being conducted by the Bantwal Police.

Following the incident, district incharge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao assured that strict action will be taken against the "aggressors" after the investigation is completed. Police have recovered the knives that were used in the attack.

MLAs of Bantwal, and Mangaluru city South - Rajesh Nayak, and Vedavyas Kamath, respectively, have asked the police to arrest all the persons who have attacked Hindu youths.

Targeting the Congress government over the incident, Karnataka BJP in a post on 'X' said, "It feels like the Thuglak era is back in Karnataka, where shouting "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" is no longer safe. The growing hatred for Bharath under @siddaramaiah is deeply alarming." BJP workers Harish Anchan and Nandakumar, who were celebrating PM Modi's electoral victory and shouting "Bharath Mata ki Jai" in Mangaluru, were brutally stabbed by Aboobakkar, Bashir, Siddik, Monu, and 20 others, it said, "This heinous act highlights the deteriorating law-and-order situation in Karnataka under the Congress government," BJP said.

The rise in violent incidents and unchecked aggression is creating an atmosphere of fear and instability, it further said, adding that "This is a stark reminder of the increasing violence and chaos, underscoring the urgent need for stronger governance and security measures to protect citizens and maintain peace." PTI