Five Booked For Threatening Inter-Faith Duo At Didupe Falls Parking Area

The Belthangady police have registered a criminal case against five named individuals and several other unidentified persons for allegedly threatening and abusing a young woman and her male friend in an apparent act of moral policing at the Didupe Falls parking area in Malavantige village, which is located in the Belthangady taluk of Dakshina Kannada district.

According to the local police department, the complainant in the case is a young woman who is currently employed in the city of Mangaluru. The incident occurred when she decided to visit the Didupe Falls tourist spot located in Malavantige village along with her male friend. Upon their arrival at the designated parking area near the falls, the duo was intercepted and stopped by a group consisting of five to six people.

In her formal complaint filed with the police, the young woman alleged that the group of individuals strongly objected to her presence at the tourist location with her friend. Specifically, the members of the confronting group questioned and objected to her being accompanied by a youth who belonged to a different faith. The group then allegedly proceeded to abuse both the woman and her friend using foul language, and they further threatened them with dire consequences.

Following the encounter, a complaint was successfully lodged with the local law enforcement authorities. Based on this complaint, the Belthangady police registered a case against five identified accused individuals. The police have officially named these accused as Ranjith, Sudarshan, Swastik, Pradeep, and Dikshith. Several other unidentified individuals who were part of the group have also been booked in the case.

The police registered the case under multiple sections of the newly enacted Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. The charges include Sections 126(2), 352, and 351(2), read with Section 3(5) of the BNS. The Belthangady police have confirmed that an active investigation into the incident is currently underway.