Gulbarga, Karnataka: A Sikh man Avtar Singh was attacked by a Mob in Kodla village in Gulbarga (Karnataka) on May 19, 2018 for wearing a Kirpan. The incident was reported by the Sikh Siyasat News (SSN) on May 28 after which Sikh circles in Punjab and other parts of the subcontinent became aware of the incident and contacted local Sikh leadership in Gulbarga. As the Sikh leadership followed the case, the local police have acted in this case and six persons have been arrested so far in this case.
Six persons were arrested by the police in relation to May 19 incident where a Sikh was brutally attacked in Kodla village in Karnataka for wearing Kirpan
The police had registered FIR number 144/2018 at Police Station Sedam under sections 143 (punishment for unlawful assembly), 147 (Punishment for rioting), 148 (Rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint), 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 149 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) of Indian Penal Code (IPC).
In a written communication S. Jasveer Singh Chhabra from Gulbarga said that he along with Surinderpal Singh Bhatia, Bobby Bhatia, Gurmeet Singh Bhatia, Jaswinder Singh Mange, Gurudwara Sahib Granthi Baba Deep Singh visited Avtar Singh on May 28 at United hospital , Gulbarga.
He said that Superintendent of Police Shashi Kumar also visited the Hospital and assured to get the accused arrested within 36 hrs.
S. Baljeet Singh, a member of State Minority Commission Karnataka, told Sikh Siyasat News that six of the accused persons were arrested by the police today and section 307 of IPC (attempt to murder) was included in the FIR.
S. Baljit Singh said: [a]s per discussions with the SP and his version it is a case where the victim was mistaken for a child lifter (these rumours have been doing the rounds in Karnataka and many persons have been beaten up similarly in the state) and as he was also wearing kirpan and villagers in interior Karnataka are unaware of the significance of kirpan and mistaken as a weapon he was beaten up by a mob taking him to be a child lifter.
“With regards to the allegation that his hair was cut, the SP said that it is a rumour and as the victim had head injuries, the doctors had cut some hair for treatment purpose. I have verified this from the victim himself”, said S. Baljeet Singh.
S. Baljeet Singh said that he was closely following this case with the police, Gulbarga Committee and local MLA.