3 held for attack on Manipuri student
Source: The Sangai Express / Agencies

Bengaluru, November 21 2014 : Wednesday's attack on a Manipuri youth in the city was a hate crime, his family has alleged.

Police said Samuel T Haokip, 22, was attacked by three labourers at Byrathi Cross, near Kothanur, after he objected to them harassing his woman friend.

However, Samuel's family and a witness to the attack said there was no girl on the scene.

They said Samuel was attacked without provocation.

The arrested have been identified as Joy Sachin alias Sachin Joseph, 23, of Hassan; Jagadish Pandyan, 20, of TN, and Elle Vijay Ravi, 19, of Tirunelveli.

The men work as daily-wage labourers with a catering unit in Kothanur, police said.

Samuel is recovering at a private hospital and will be discharged soon, police said.

Police confirmed that trouble began after the trio called Samuel names.

Samuel, a BA student with an open university who works part time with a private company in Ashoknagar, had alighted from a BMTC bus when the trio began abusing him, police said.

"Getting off the bus, I had walked a few steps when the three men made racist remarks.

I looked at them, but walked away.

They followed me and again abused me, but I just looked at them and kept walking.

Suddenly, they pushed me from behind and smashed my head with a stone.

I dialled 100 for police, but the line was busy.

A woman helped me reach the police station," Samuel said in a statement.

Police refused to term it a racial attack.

"The three youths were drunk and knew nothing about Samuel.

They didn't even know he's from Manipur," a police officer said.

"They hit Samuel's forehead with a stone and punched his face.

"Passersby intervened and beat up the youth, who fled the scene.

A woman shopper took Samuel to the police station," police said.

Comment