Mangaluru: An incident of assault erupted on a Karnataka state road transport corporation (KSRTC) bus which was plying between Bangalore to Mangalore, where a Muslim cleric was beaten by passengers who accused him of molesting a Hindu minor girl seated beside him.
The altercation, which occurred on the morning of July 13, has gained significant attention on social media. A user on X, formerly known as Twitter, named Sanatana, posted that Hindu women on the bus had beaten up the Muslim cleric for allegedly molesting the girl. The post has gone viral, sparking widespread condemnation and further inciting the situation.
The cleric, who boarded the bus in Hassan along with his mother and two children, allegedly molested the girl multiple times by reaching his hand under the seat. The girl initially informed her mother, who chose not to react immediately. However, the harassment continued, prompting the mother to confront the cleric. When confronted, the cleric reportedly admitted his wrongdoing and pleaded for forgiveness.
Despite his pleas, the situation escalated rapidly as other passengers began to attack him. The harassed girl and her mother were joined by others in physically assaulting the cleric. Videos of the assault, showing the cleric being beaten on the head and held by his neck while passengers hurled obscenities, have circulated widely on social media.
Most passengers watched the violence unfold without intervening. Several individuals recorded the incident and uploaded the footage online, where it has continued to spread virally.
Authorities have not yet issued a statement regarding the incident. Social media users condemned the incident as such incidents increasing in the region.
