Kin of eloped men continue to be targeted in Karnataka as 2 new incidents surface

Now, two more cases of the kin of the men eloping with their lovers being assaulted have come to the fore in Karnataka. This time, they are from the Chikkaballapura and Haveri districts.

Related: Belagavi case, where woman was paraded naked, transferred to CID

The Chikkaballapura incident

A man and his wife were grievously injured in an assault by a group of people after the couple’s son eloped and married his girlfriend from the same village in the Gudibande taluk in the Chikkaballapura district.

According to the police, the lovers eloped on Sunday, 17 December, and got married at a temple.

A group of relatives of the girl woman decided to teach the boy’s parents a lesson as they believed that they had helped the lovers elope and get married. They went to the boy’s house on Monday and created a ruckus there, said the police.

Heated arguments ensued, leading to the group of relatives assaulting the boy’s parents. The couple sustained grievous injuries and were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment, said the police.

In a complaint, the victims alleged they were assaulted by more than five men with rods and wooden logs.

Based on their complaint, a case was registered under Sections 143 (being a member of an unlawful assembly), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapons), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of the offence committed in prosecution of a common objective), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The girl’s father and three other relatives have been arrested by the Gudibande police in connection with the incident, the cops said.

Related: Karnataka High Court restricts visitors to Belagavi assault survivor

The Haveri incident

In a similar incident, a man was allegedly abducted and thrashed at the Chalageri village in the Ranebennur taluk of the Haveri district after his brother-in-law eloped with a woman on Monday.

The woman’s family had apparently fixed her wedding for 22 December against her will. Her boyfriend and his family had also approached the woman’s family with a marriage proposal, but they did not agree to it.

But the couple is said to have eloped on 15 December.

Following the incident, the woman’s family suspected that the boy’s parents and relatives were supporting him.

The family approached the Ranebennur Rural Police Station, but were reluctant to file a complaint initially.

Later, they approached a local leader who advised both the families to first trace the couple and then settle the matter amicably. However, the couple’s phones were switched off and they have not been traced yet.

According to the police, the woman’s brother and his friends went to the boyfriend’s house on Monday evening and questioned his brother-in-law about the couple’s whereabouts and why he could not trace the couple yet.

He told them that he did not know where the couple was and that their mobile phones were switched off. They called him to the police station for an explanation, but when he refused to go along with them, a heated argument started, leading to a scuffle.

Thereafter, they allegedly forced him into their car and took him to their village, Chalageri, where they again thrashed him. They subsequently took him to the Ranebennur Rural Police Station.

The victim’s family, meanwhile, informed the Halageri Police Station about the alleged abduction.

The man is said to have sustained minor injuries and was immediately administered treatment, a senior police officer said.

Based on his complaint, a case of abduction was registered at the Halageri Police Station against members of the girl’s family.

Meanwhile, the girl’s family also lodged a complaint at Ranebennur Rural Police Station about their daughter’s alleged kidnapping, the police said.

“They both are adults and are in a relationship. Their mobile phones are switched off, but we are making all efforts to trace them,” the police said.