Prominent wildlife activist DV Girish was assaulted by a group of allegedly inebriated young men in Shantaveri, a village in Karnataka’s Chikkamagaluru district, on 30 August.
A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed at the Chikkamagaluru rural police station under sections pertaining to assault and criminal intimidation of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). One of the miscreants, identified as Aruna, has been named as the prime accused, according to the FIR.
Girish is the convener of NGO Wild Cat-C and was instrumental in protecting the Bhadra Tiger Reserve. He is also a recipient of the prestigious RBS ‘Protect the Tiger’ award. Girish, along with his friends and a friend’s daughter, was travelling towards Shantaveri in a jeep from an estate near Kemmangundi.
As the group approached Shantaveri, the eight young men were allegedly drinking alcohol and hurled obscenities at the girl travelling with the activist and his friends, which upset them. Expressing their anger, the activist and his friend admonished the young men and drove off, the FIR stated.
The accused then allegedly followed the jeep on their two-wheelers and threatened the activist and his friend. The FIR mentioned that the assailants also dragged his friends out of the jeep and attacked them as well.
In a video of the incident, Girish can be seen alighting from the vehicle and approaching the assailants. Further, the accused can be seen assaulting the activist and his friends. Before the matter could escalate further, local residents interrupted the fight.
The local residents recognised the activist and attempted to stop the attack. Girish and his friends sustained minor injuries and were taken to the district hospital for treatment.
Chikkamagaluru Superintendent of Police Akshay MH told the Times of India that the accused were from neighbouring villages and that they are presently absconding. Besides sections of the IPC, a case was also registered under sections 12 (Acting with sexual intent) and 18 (Attempt to commit an offence) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against eight people.
(Published in an arrangement with The News Minute)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)