Two Muslim youths were stabbed by two men, of which one allegedly has links to the Hindutva group Sri Ram Sene, in Karnataka's Gadag district on the occasion of Muharram on Tuesday, 9 August.
The two youths, namely Tausif Hosmani (23) and Mushtaq Hosmani (24), were stabbed during an altercation that took place during a Muharram procession in Gadag's Mallasamudra village.
While Tausif works in the billing section of a private industry, Mushtaq is a college student. Both of them hail from the Mallasamudra village.
One of the accused persons, Somesh Gudi, is said to have links with the Sri Ram Sene while another has been identified as a man named Yallappa. Both of them have been arrested, the police said.
Another person named Salman has been arrested, though it is not yet known whether he was involved in the stabbing.
According to locals, Gudi had a disagreement with Tausif and Mushtaq, which culminated into an altercation, during which the two men were stabbed and gravely injured.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Shivprakash Devaraju said that the injuries of the two youths were deep and are currently being treated.
'No Communal Angle Behind the Attack': Police Claim
The SP also said that the exact reason behind the attack is still unknown, but claimed that it did not have any communal angle.
"The issue is not communal at all. The stabbing was a result of a small fight between another Muslim person called Salman and members of the minority community during the procession. Once the fight got intense and the community members started to beat up Salman, his friends Somesh and Yallappa came into the picture," the SP said.
"They started beating up people and Somesh also used a knife injuring two people near him. The injured are being treated and all three, Salman, Somesh and Yallappa, have been arrested," he added.
The police also said that a case had been filed against the accused under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Meanwhile, additional security personnel were deployed in the area after the incident. The police has also begun their investigation in the case.
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