‘Moral policing’ resurfaced in Dakshina Kannada with the incident of two persons allegedly waylaying two minors, a boy and a girl, insulting them in public and posting the video of the insult on social media in Puttur on Saturday.
The two persons— Purushottam of Kudmaru near Kadaba, 43, and Ramachandra of Aryapu in Puttur, 38 — were arrested by Puttur Town police for the abuse and insult of minors.
In a press release, the police stated that the boy and girl went to Beeramale Betta in Puttur on Saturday and were talking to each other when the accused persons, thinking that the boy belonged to a different religion from the girl’s, confronted him.
The two men then abused the minors in public and recorded it on their mobile phones. In doing so, they attracted public attention and people assembled at the spot. Then, the accused posted a video of the abuse on Instagram and WhatsApp, said the police.
Superintendent of Police K. Arun stated in a press release that during the investigation, the police discovered that the minors belonged to the same religion.
In the complaint, the minor boy’s father accused Purushottam and Ramachandra of falsely projecting his son’s religion and maligning the two minors in public. He sought action against the accused persons who tried to “create communal tension”.
The police registered his complaint for offences under Sections 126(2), 352, 351(2), 353(1)(C), 57, 196(1)(a) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The two accused were being questioned, the police said.
Published – July 06, 2025 09:26 pm IST
