Karnataka’s coastal belt is once again witnessing the ugly face of ‘moral policing’ as a group of self-appointed guardians attacked a 17-year-old minority community boy at a bustling temple mela in Ujire, Mangaluru district. The March 18 incident at the Sri Janardhana Swamy Temple in Belthangady has sparked outrage and a full-scale police manhunt.
Eyewitness accounts and the victim’s FIR paint a harrowing picture: the teenager, out with pals amid the fair’s revelry, was cornered by rowdy youths. ‘Are you sneaking girls into lodges?’ they barked, before descending into slurs, punches, and an attempted abduction. They even coerced a humiliating video confession from him on his mobile.
Police chief KE Arun of Mangaluru district minced no words: strict action awaits law-breakers. Special investigators are poring over local CCTV, zeroing in on suspects believed tied to Bajrang Dal.
Charges filed span from assault and abduction to criminal threats and public humiliation. This flare-up echoes a series of similar vigilantism cases plaguing the state.
Recall the February 19 arrests in Chikkamagaluru, where Niyaz, Tabrez, and Hanif waylaid a boy-girl duo from different communities biking home from school. Or the July 9, 2025, Vittal bust of Padmaraj, who harassed a minor at a bus stop for talking to a classmate.
The January 22, 2026, Bangarpet clash saw Muslim youths pummel Hindu boys accompanying a girl in an Urs rally, leading to 10 detentions after Chandni’s outcry alongside brother Rafi.
As investigations deepen, the pattern is clear: festivals and public spaces are becoming flashpoints for communal moral crusades. Karnataka police face mounting pressure to dismantle these networks, safeguard vulnerable youth, and restore order before tensions boil over into larger conflicts. Community leaders urge dialogue over division to heal these wounds.