Basheer had saved me from assailants in Saudi 25 years ago, recalls his Hindu neighbor

coastaldigest.com news network
January 8, 2018

Mangaluru, Jan 8: 50-year-old Prabhakar, a resident of Akash Bhavan locality in the city left shell-shocked after hearing the death news of his best friend and neighbor Ahmed Basheer on Sunday.

48-year-old, Basheer, who was running a fast food restaurant near Koattara Chowki for past one year breathed his last on January 7 at a hospital, four days after a gang of four miscreants attacked him with sharp weapons on January 3. The attack took place at around 9:30 p.m. when he was returning home after closing his restaurant. Ironically, the only reason for the attack was that he appeared like a Muslim. The assailants, who wanted to kill a Muslim man, did not even know the name of the victim. Two ambulance drivers, who saw Basheer lying in a pool of blood, had shifted him to a hospital.

After working in Saudi Arabia for around 25 years Basheer had quit his job and settled in Mangaluru in 2016 as his family forced him to stop working abroad. Later he had purchased a house in Akash Bhavan and opened a fast food restaurant in partnership with one of his relatives.

Both in Saudi Arabia and Mangaluru he had friends from different faiths. Prabhakar, who belongs to Hindu community is one among them. He is not only a neighbor of Basheer in Mangaluru, but also had worked with him for 15 years in the Arab Kingdom.

Prabhakar recalls that Basheer had saved him from a group of expatriate Muslims, who wanted to attack him in 1993 in Saudi Arabia.

“The intended attack was, perhaps, in retaliation for communal violence in Dakshina Kannada district after demolition of Babri mosque. It had spread its ugly wings to the gulf nation as well. I was cornered by a group of assailants. But, Basheer stood by my side and warned the assailants of dire consequences if they tried to harm me,” Prabhakar said.

"Prabhakar is our man, nobody dare touch him," a teary-eyed Prabhakar recalled Basheer as saying when the mob came to attack him. “The group eventually left and it is because of him my life was saved,” he added.

“Basheer was known for humanity. He mingled freely with all people, irrespective of their caste or religion. He never sent anyone who approached him for financial help empty-handed. His loss is huge shock to me and my family,” said Prabhakar.

Comments

mohammad.n
 - 
Tuesday, 9 Jan 2018

Thank you Mr. Prabhakar, people like you make us feel that we have peace loving hindu friends around us. That was a brotherly gesture in humanity. I hope such relations increase so that evil minded people get decreased.

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
December 15,2025

Udupi, Dec 15: What was meant to be a post-pilgrimage gathering turned tragic in Padukere village of Brahmavar taluk, Udupi district, late Sunday night, when a clash among youths escalated into a fatal assault, leaving one man dead.

The victim has been identified as 30-year-old Santosh Mogaveera, a resident of Padukere.

According to preliminary information, the incident took place during a late-night drinking party involving a group of local youths who had recently returned after completing their pilgrimage to the Sabarimala shrine. An argument reportedly broke out among the group and soon escalated into a violent confrontation.

During the ensuing brawl, Santosh Mogaveera was allegedly assaulted and collapsed at the spot after sustaining serious injuries. He was rushed by local residents to a private hospital in Brahmavar, where doctors declared him dead.

On receiving information, senior police officials, including Brahmavar Circle Inspector Gopikrishna, Kota Police Sub-Inspector Praveen Kumar T, Station ASI Manthesh Jabagoudar, and head constables Pradeep and Ashok, visited the spot and conducted an inspection.

Police have taken four youths into custody in connection with the incident. A case has been registered at the Kota police station, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the death.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
December 2,2025

Puttur: The long-cherished dream of a government medical college in Puttur has moved a decisive step closer to reality, with the Karnataka State Finance Department granting its official approval for the construction of a new 300-bed hospital.

Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai announced the crucial development to reporters on Monday, confirming that the official communication from the finance department was issued on November 27. This 300-bed facility is intended to be the cornerstone for the establishment of the government medical college, a project announced in the state budget.

Fast-Track Implementation

The MLA outlined an aggressive timeline for the project:

•    A Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the hospital is expected to be ready within 45 days.

•    The tender process for the construction will be completed within two months.

Following the completion of the tender process, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the project.

"Setting up a medical college in Puttur is a historical decision by the Congress government in Karnataka," Rai stated. The project has an estimated budget allocation of Rs 1,000 crore for the medical college.

Focus on Medical Education Department

The MLA highlighted a key strategic move: requesting the government to implement the hospital construction through the Medical Education Department instead of the Health and Family Welfare Department. This is intended to streamline the entire process of establishing the full medical college, ensuring the facilities—including labs, operation theatres, and other necessary infrastructure—adhere to the strict guidelines set by the Medical Council of India (MCI). The proposed site for the project is in Bannur.

Rai also took the opportunity to address political criticism, stating that the government has fulfilled its promise despite "apprehensions" and "mocking and criticising" from opposition parties who had failed to take similar initiatives when they were in power. "Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has kept his word," he added.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.