A court in Karnataka’s Mangaluru on Tuesday acquitted all 39 persons who were booked in connection with the assault and harassment of 13 college students at a homestay in the city more than 12 years ago, reported The Hindu.
Sixth Additional District and Sessions Judge SV Kantharaju acquitted Subash Padil, the leader of the Hindu Jagaran Vedike, and 38 of his associates on the grounds of lack of evidence, reported The New Indian Express.
On July 28, 2012, 13 students had gathered at the Morning Mist homestay, approximately 500 meters from Padil Junction in the city, to celebrate the birthday of their friend Vijay, reported The Hindu.
The celebrations were cut short when a group of 40 Hindutva activists led by Padil barged into the homestay at around 6 pm and were accused of assaulting the students.
The attack was filmed by three journalists. The Mangaluru Police responded to the incident based on videos that were broadcast from the scene by journalist Naveen Soorinje.
The victims were escorted to a police station and then to a hospital for medical treatment. One of them was the daughter of a former inspector with the Lokayukta Police.
The men were also accused of inappropriate behaviour towards the women in the group, including tearing the clothes of some. The victims alleged the men forced five women to sit with their bare-chested male friend before taking videos and photographs of them.
The victims said that the wide circulation of the images had caused them significant mental trauma.
The city police eventually arrested 44 persons in connection with the incident, including journalists Soorinje and Sharanraj, and filed a chargesheet against them.
On January 4, 2018, the court discharged Soorinje from the case. Three of the accused persons have since died, while one of the group who was a minor at the time of the incident was acquitted by the Juvenile Justice Board.
Ultimately, 39 men faced trial in the case.
In the evidence presented, a complainant named Vijay and one of the female victims recounted their ordeal and identified the assailants. The other students did not identify the men. The prosecution submitted photographs and videos of the incident to the court.
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