Mohan Kuthar
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Updated
Mangaluru, Mar 13: Tension prevailed in Ullal following the alleged sexual assault of a three-and-a-half-year-old child by the driver of her school van on Friday March 13.
The accused, Madhukar Shetty (35), was arrested by Ullal police earlier in the evening. He is the driver of the Omni van belonging to Mangalore One school, where the child studies.
Soon after the news of the alleged assault spread, groups gathered on the streets and pelted stones at buses and police vehicles in Ullal and Thokkottu. Over a hundred people gathered in front of the hospital in Thokkottu where the girl was taken and protested. They also expressed anger against media persons who were covering the incident and came forward to assault them. The Ullal police intervened and resorted to lathi charge and chased away the mob.
The crowd again gathered on NH 66 and pelted stones at a private bus plying towards Thokkottu and damaged its window panes. They also pelted stones at the police vehicle of SI Bharati. As tense atmosphere prevailed, shops were closed down in Thokkottu area.
It did not end there. The crowd then assembled in front of Ullal police station, but just as they were beginning to protest, the police resorted to lathi charge and dispersed the mob. In Ullal too, shops were closed as if an undeclared bandh was being observed.
The police have deployed additional teams led by ACP Kalyan Shetty and SI Savithru Teja, and KSRP squad in the area. Police commissioner S Murugan, DCP Vishnuwardhan along with other police personnel visited the spot.
It is learnt that after allegedly sexually assaulting the child and dropping her home, Madhukar drove back to the school, and a little later, when the incident came to light, around five persons came to the school and assaulted him.
Ullal police on receiving information arrived at the school and arrested Madhukar. Two persons who assaulted him were also taken into custody.
School denies
However, the school, Mangalore One, is learnt to have dismissed the allegations of sexual assault and said that when the girl was getting up from her chair in school, it hit her private parts and she suffered injuries. The attenders at the school examined her and later sent her home, the school reportedly said.
Chaos outside Lady Goschen hospital
The child was initially taken to a hospital in Thokkottu and later shifted to Lady Goschen hospital in Mangaluru. As soon as the news spread, a large number of people gathered outside the hospital and protested.
The protestors demanded that they be allowed to see the condition of the child, but the hospital authorities rejected their demand, and told them to come the next day. The protestors refused to budge.
The police then intervened and dispersed the crowd and brought the situation under control. Former mayor Ashraf was among the protestors, sources said.
Earlier Report
Mangaluru: Driver of school van sexually assaults child
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Mar 13: A school van driver was taken into custody on Friday March 13 for allegedly sexually assaulting a three-and-a-half-year-old school girl at Chembugudde in Ullal police station limits.
The accused, Madhukar Shetty (35), a resident of Kumpala, is the driver of an Omni van belonging to the nursery school where the girl studies.
It is said that on Friday, he dropped the other students of the school at their respective homes, and when the girl was alone in the Omni, he allegedly sexually assaulted her.
Later at home, when the girl went to the toilet, her mother noticed that she was bleeding. On questioning, the girl told her about the driver's act.
The mother then took the girl to a hospital at Thokkottu for medical examination.
Based on the mother's complaint, the Ullal police took the accused into custody and further investigations are on.