The incident unfolded near Siddanna Galli

The victim of the assault has been identified as Mukesh

Police officials have obtained relevant CCTV visuals

A shop owner was assaulted for allegedly playing songs pertaining to Lord Hanuman while a Namaz was underway in close proximity. The incident unfolded near Siddanna Galli at the Nagarathpete region of Bengaluru. This falls under the jurisdiction of the Halasuru Gate Police Station. 

The victim of the assault has been identified as Mukesh. A group of youngsters are believed to have told him that this is disturbing them as many had gathered for Namaz. They asked him to change the song. Mukesh refused. This led to a heated argument. Apart from being beaten, Mukesh is also reported to have sustained injuries from a knife. 

A complaint has been filed against 6 people in relation to this incident. The police officials have obtained CCTV visuals relevant to this incident. Mukesh is being treated at the Victoria Hospital. 

The issue has taken a political turn with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders reacting to this incident. “It is highly unfortunate, deplorable and condemnable that a group of Muslim youths assaulted a shopkeeper in Ulsoor, for playing Hanuman Chaleesa. This shows their inhumane attitude, intolerance and causing communal disharmony. Such cases have to be dealt with an iron hand and bail denied to such vested interests. Secularism cannot be one-way traffic, it has to be two-way traffic,” Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Bijapur City Assembly Basangouda Patil Yatnal stated on X.

It is highly unfortunate, deplorable and condemnable that a group of Muslim youths assaulted a shopkeeper in Ulsoor, for playing Hanuman Chaleesa. This shows their inhumane attitude, intolerance and causing communal disharmony. Such cases have to be dealt with an iron hand and… pic.twitter.com/JnJAJTtJeq

— Basanagouda R Patil (Yatnal) (ಮೋದಿಯವರ ಕುಟುಂಬ) (@BasanagoudaBJP) March 18, 2024