Women sexually assaulted, man arrested

• Deliberate accident
• Two injured

Belthangady: A drunk pick-up truck driver allegedly deliberately hit his vehicle against an auto rickshaw, dragging out the women passengers outside the auto, and then sexually harassed them on Monday evening July 30^th.

Hundreds of people assembled at the spot after the news of the incident went wild. However, the situation turning tense was normalized after the police arrested a local pick-up driver named B J Thomas, resident of Gandibagilu.

Reportedly, the accused was driving his pickup in an inebriated state following which he hit the autorickshaw in which the women were travelling. The auto rickshaw driver identified as Sathish was injured in the accident.

Complaint

The two sisters in the auto rickshaw, belonging to a scheduled community, filed a complaint with police stating that Thomas dragged the girls out of the auto rickshaw and bit them. An autorickshaw driver who came to the rescue of the ladies was also beaten up. The accused escaped after misbehaving with them. Later, the autorickshaw driver called the Dharmasthala police and informed them about the incident.

It is being said that the girls were returning home after working at Ujire by auto rickshaw from Aniyoor when the attack took place. One of the injured women and the driver of the three-wheeler have been admitted into a hospital.

It is understood that in the past, Thomas used to harass the two sisters aged 20 and 18. Fed up, the women had filed a police complaint. Angered by the complaint, Thomas tried to rape and kill them through the incident, alleged the sisters.

Tension

Hundreds of people including representatives of Dalit communities congregated at the spot. The situation turned tense after a protest was held under the leadership of Sangh Parivar outfits. Local MLA Harish Poonja, visited the spot and pacified the aggrieved families and directed the police to take strict action against the accused. Bantwal assistant superintendent of police and senior police officials visited the spot and guided the investigation. The situation is currently under control.