By Muslim Mirror Staff

Members of a right-wing Hindu group on 29 December allegedly barged into the house of a Dalit family, hurled abuses at them and thrashed them alleging that the family was involved in religious conversion. The incident took place in Tukkanatti village near Gokak in Karnataka’s Belagavi district, news reports said.

Seven of the attackers have been booked under the SC and ST (Prevention of atrocities) Act and some provisions of the Indian Penal Code.

Akshay Kumar Karaganvi, a pastor, was organising annual prayers at his residence, when members of a right-wing outfit entered his house and interrupted the prayers.

The assailants allegedly called women of the Karaganavi family and their cousins ‘professional sex workers’ and the men as children of ‘professional sex workers’. They beat up Akshay and his nephew Sudhakar Vyapari.

The accused assaulted women identified as Kavita, Bharati and Mahadevi and accused them of lacking character.

There has been a rise in attacks on members of minority communities in India.