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Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, June 15 (EMN): One more person from the Northeast has fallen victim to racially-motivated crime, this time in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
According to Bangalore Mirror on Monday, the incident occurred when a man from Nagaland, Kewetshute Losou, was beaten up, robbed and abused for the way he looked on June 13 evening near the KR Puram railway station in Bengaluru.
The 32-year-old Losou, who earns his living as a security guard, was cycling back home from work when the incident happened, at around 7 pm.
In a video message, the victim narrated that two goons had attacked him, took around INR 300 from his pocket and told him "you Nepalis are spreading coronavirus and you should go back."
He sustained several bruises on his face, arms and back. According to the report, Losou approached the police to file a complaint on June 14.
Losou, a resident of Mahadevapura, went to Bengaluru about four years ago and had been employed in a security agency, till the lockdown cost him his job.
“I was unemployed for almost two months and on Wednesday, I started a job as a security guard near Tin Factory. I used to work with another agency earlier and had to walk for three hours till Old Airport Road during the lockdown as there was no transportation. In mid-April, I quit the job as they were not ready to provide any transportation facilities and I could not walk for three hours in the hot sun. I then applied for jobs as I had no money in hand and had to pay my rent as well. With great difficulty, I had managed to get the job and it had been only three days when the incident happened,” he told the Bangalore Mirror.
“They asked me for my mobile. When I refused to hand it over, they pushed my cycle, dragged me to the roadside where it was completely dark and began beating me. I could not see their faces as there was no light at all. They kept asking for my mobile and I held on to it and did not let them take it. They abused me and told me that I was spreading the coronavirus. They said ‘you Nepalis are spreading coronavirus and you should go back’. They beat me black and blue and snatched INR 330 which was all I had with me,” he said.
He said that he somehow managed to run towards the main road and approached passersby for help. He said, “Many gathered and came to my rescue but the two fled from the spot. I did not have money to go to the hospital and could not even ride the cycle. I pushed my cycle till my house and rested for a day. I do not want anyone like me to go through a similar experience so I decided to make a video of myself explaining the incident to all the Northeast people and ask them to be alert and not to step out during the night.”