Mangaluru, March 14: Ullal area appeared tense after the alleged sexual assault on a three-and-a-half-year-old school going girl child by the driver of her school van at Chembugudde in Ullal police jurisdiction on Friday March 13th.
The accused identified as, Madhukar Shetty (35), was arrested by Ullal police earlier in the evening. Madhukar works as the driver of an Omni van belonging to Mangalore One school where the girl child studies.
It is said that on Friday, after he dropped the other students of the school to their homes, and when the girl was alone in the Omni, he allegedly sexually assaulted her.
Post this, when the girl went to the toilet at her home, her mother saw that the girl child was bleeding. On questioning, the girl revealed about the driver’s act to her mother. In the beginning, the mother took the girl child to a hospital in Thokkottu and later shifted to Lady Goschen hospital in Mangaluru.
Ullal cops have taken the accused into custody based on the mother ‘s complaint and further investigations are on.
As soon as the news of the alleged assault was in air, groups gathered on the streets and pelted stones at buses and police vehicles in Ullal and Thokkottu.
Huge crowd gathered in front of the hospital in Thokkottu where the girl was taken and protested. They even expressed anger against media persons who had been there to cover the incident and also came forward to assault them. The Ullal cops intervened and resorted to lathi charge in order to disperse the mob.
The crowd again gathered on NH 66 and pelted stones at a private bus plying towards Thokkottu and damaged its window panes. They also pelted stones at the police vehicle of SI Bharati. Due to turmoil, shops were closed in Thokkottu area.
The crowd later assembled in front of Ullal police station, but as they were beginning to protest, the police resorted to lathi charge and dispersed the mob in order to bring the situation under control. Shops in Ullal also remained closed and appeared as though an undeclared bandh was being observed. The additional police force and KSRP squad has been deployed in these areas.
Police commissioner S Murugan, DCP Vishnuwardhan along with other police personnel have visited the spot.
It is learnt that when the incident came to light, a group of about five persons went to the school and assaulted Madhukar. Ullal cops on receiving information went to the school and arrested Madhukar. Two memebers who assaulted him were also arrested.
It is learnt that the school, has denied the allegations of sexual assault and said that when the girl was getting up from her chair in school, it hit her private parts and she suffered injuries. The school reportedly said that, the attenders at the school examined her and sent the girl home later.
