Bengaluru, Karnataka – A local shopkeeper, Mukesh, was reportedly attacked by a group of over five men for playing devotional music in his shop. The incident has sparked outrage and concern among the local community.
According to BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, who visited the victim, the incident occurred yesterday evening when Mukesh was conducting his business as usual. “Every evening, he had a practice of playing devotional songs on his speaker,” Surya said. “Yesterday, a few miscreants came to his shop and started an argument with him and demanded him to switch off and stop playing the Hanuman Chalisa. When he refused, he was pulled out and 6-7 miscreants thrashed and attacked him.”
Mukesh has reportedly sustained grievous injuries from the attack. Despite the severity of the incident, the local police initially refused to register an FIR. “Even after submitting a detailed written complaint, the local Police did not register an FIR,” Surya added. “It was registered only after the intervention of PC Mohan, myself and local BJP leaders at a belated stage.”
The locals are apprehensive that the police have filed a diluted FIR and added names of certain people who may not be involved in the crime itself. Only three people have been arrested so far. Surya and other local BJP leaders have demanded that all those accused and seen on CCTV must be arrested immediately.
“We are demanding from the Bengaluru City Commissioner to conduct the investigation in an unbiased and professional manner,” Surya concluded. The incident has raised questions about the safety of small business owners and the freedom to express one’s faith in the city.
