Bajrang Dal worker used to harass me to convert to Hinduism: Sister of accused in Shivamogga assault case

Bengaluru: The sister of the man accused of attacking a Bajrang Dal worker in Karnataka‘s Shivamogga alleged that she was constantly harassed by the right-wing outfit worker and was asked to remove her burqa.

Addressing a press conference in Shivamogga’s Sagara, Saba Sheikh alleged that Bajrang Dal worker Sunil asked her to convert to Hinduism.

“After the Hijab row, he used to tell me to remove my hijab and burqa when I used to attend my classes. He used to follow me everywhere. He also told me to convert to the Hindu religion,” a teary-eyed Sheikh alleged.

“My brother studies in Bengaluru. I used to tell him whenever Sunil harassed me. My brother is not the one to attack someone. He might have gone to scare Sunil so that he stays away from me. His house is also on the same route as my house.”

Sheikh said that she never confronted Sunil and used to return home directly from her college.

The incident took place on Monday when a man wielding a machete tried to attack Sunil. Police later identified the assailant as Sameer, Saba’s brother.

Sunil escaped unhurt and filed a complaint with the police, following which a case was registered. Three people, including Sameer, were arrested.

Shivamogga Superintendent of Police (SP) G Mithun Kumar confirmed that Sheikh was indeed being harassed.

“Initial investigations found that Sunil used to harass Sameer’s sister. Sameer had warned Sunil to stay away from his sister a few times. We also found out that Sunil had called Sameer once and asked for his sister’s phone number,” Kumar said.

“There was an altercation on Monday. At the time, Sameer was wielding a machete. He swung it at Sunil. Our investigations so far have found that the reason was personal and the attack was not because Sunil was a Hindu activist,” the SP added.

Sunil, however, denied that he knew Sameer or his sister Saba.

“I saw him for the first time when I was assaulted. After the incident, I came to know that he resided near my house. I have been working as an activist of Bajrang Dal for the last five years. I am also an active participant in events of Bajrang Dal,” he claimed.