Two held in Puttur for harassing minors, making communal remarks

Puttur (Karnataka): Two men have been arrested for allegedly harassing two minors and for circulating a video with communal overtones on social media, Dakshina Kannada police said on Tuesday.

The case stems from a complaint lodged by the father of one of the minors, they added.

On July 5 afternoon, the complainant's son, along with a girl known to him, was sitting near Beermale Hill in Puttur Kasaba village when two unidentified men confronted them. The duo allegedly abused the minors using foul language, threatened to record and post their video on social media, and accused the boy of belonging to a different religion, Puttur Town Police said in a statement.

The accused are said to have gathered onlookers and insulted the boy publicly, filmed the incident, and later circulated the video via WhatsApp and Instagram, police said.

Following an investigation, the two accused -- Purushottam (43) of Kudmaru, Kadaba, and Ramachandra (38) of Aryapu, Puttur -- were arrested and are currently being questioned.

The case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, including those dealing with promoting enmity between communities and criminal intimidation, police added.

Authorities have urged the public and media to strictly adhere to the Juvenile Justice Act while sharing any information related to the case, as both victims are minors.