Bantwal, Oct 3: A group of assailants waylaid a vehicle transporting cattle and brutally assaulted two occupants of the vehicle at Porlipadi near Kalladka in Bantwal taluk early morning on Thursday.
The two were brutally assaulted with lethal weapons such as swords and iron rods by over 20 assailants, allegedly owing allegiance to the Sangh Parivar.
Both the victims, Siddiq (32) and Basheer (22) were gravely injured by the assailants and are in an extremely critical state in the intensive care unit of a private hospital. Siddiq was brought to the hospital in an unconscious state.
It is learnt that the assailants planned to ram the cattle-laden vehicle with a pick-up truck at Porlipadi to bring them to a stop. In his haste to avoid being rammed by the pickup, the oncoming vehicle fell into a roadside ditch.
After the accident, around 20 assailants dragged the two out of the vehicle and assaulted them with swords and rods brutally. Siddiq sustained severe injuries to his arms, legs, neck and back, while Basheer was gravely injured on his arm, head and legs.
It is said that two youth had been following the cattle-laden vehicle in the wee hours of Thursday from Mani. Later, a pickup truck with five persons had been lying in wait for the vehicle at Porlipadi.
When the vehicle lost control to avoid an accident with the parked pickup truck, it fell into a ditch and the assailants began assaulting the two persons inside. The driver of the vehicle is said to have escaped from the scene.
The vehicle transporting the cattle, the pickup truck used to stop the vehicle, the bike following the vehicle and the two cattle inside the vehicle have been seized by the police.
Some of the assailants have been identified as Kalladka residents Mithun, Dheeraj, Kamalaksha, Yathiraj, Chetan, Bhavith and Raviraj, and the police have arrested one person among them.
A case of illegal cattle trafficking has been registered against Siddiq and Basheer. Security arrangements have been made for them in the hospital they are being treated.
A tense situation had prevailed in Kalladka following the spread of rumours with regard to group clashes. The police arrived shortly and the situation was brought under control as per the directions of superintendent of police S D Sharanappa.
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