Madikeri, Sept 15: A group of miscreants, who were attending Ganesha festival celebration at Appangala village on the outskirts of Madikeri yesterday, thrashed a Muslim man after waylaying a pickup truck which was transporting three bulls and a cow.
According to police, the group dragged Abdul Razzak, the driver, out of the pickup truck and started assaulting him. He, however, managed to escape and later got admitted to Madikeri hospital for treatment.
It is learnt that the cattle belonged to KK Thimmaiah, a resident of Kaluru village. He had hired Razzak to transport them.
Thimmaiah told police that he was unable to care for the cattle in the calamity-hit village. “Since it was difficult to maintain cattle in the village that has been destroyed following floods and landslide, I was shifting them to my wife’s native in Peruru village,” he said in his complaint.
Meanwhile, the attack triggered communal tension in the area. Another group, after being alerted by the incident, reached the spot at Appangala and clashed with those returning after immersing the idol of Ganesha. A saffron activist, identified as Madhu, reportedly suffered minor injuries in the clash. Nevertheless, the police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
Following this, the Kodagu Hindu Hitharakshana Samiti led by Chetan and Ajit held a protest at General Thimmaiah Circle in Madikeri demanding arrest of those who allegedly attacked Madhu.
Later, the Madikeri rural police arrested five persons in connection with the above two incidents. Somaiah from Udonthmotte, Purushottama and Raveendra from Cherangala, Razzak and Riyaz from Kottamudi were produced before the judge who remanded them to judicial custody.
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