K'taka shocker: Drunk youths assault wildlife activist DV Girish, heckled teen girl [watch]

An unruly mob's actions in Karnataka's Chikkamagaluru district have drawn strong reactions. On Monday, noted wildlife activist DV Girish was brutally attacked by a group of drunk youths in Shantaveri. The Chikkamagaluru rural police lodged an FIR and identified one of the eight miscreants as Aruna, who is named the prime accused.

The shocking incident took place Girish along with his friend and his daughter were travelling towards Shantaveri in a jeep when a group of eight men started misbehaving. The youths, who had been allegedly drinking alcohol, hurled lewd remarks at the teen girl travelling with the activist and his friend. Infuriated at the obscene behaviour, Girish and his friend yelled at the group and drove off.

Activist assaulted by drunken youth

However, the drunk youths followed the jeep on their two-wheelers and started threatening Girish and his friend. As things escalated, as per the FIR, the accused dragged attacked Girish and dragged his friend out of the jeep and assaulted him as well. The entire ordeal was caught on a mobile camera, which went viral on social media, drawing criticism against such behaviour.

In the video, Girish can be seen approaching the miscreants, but get assaulted by several young men, who continuously hit the activist. The video also shows Girish's friend getting slapped and hit multiple times. Before things got out of hand, local villagers interrupted the fight and attempted to stop the attack.

In the brutal attack, Girish and his friend sustained minor injuries and received treatment at the district hospital. The police have booked eight men for assaulting the activist and his friend under sections pertaining to assault and criminal intimidation of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). A case has also been registered against the accused under sections 12 (Acting with sexual intent) and 18 (Attempt to commit an offence) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Chikkamagaluru Superintendent of Police Akshay MH told TOI.

Who is DV Girish?

Girish is a noted environmentalist, who has won many accolades for his efforts in preserving Bhadra Sanctuary and Chikkamagaluru. He is a recipient of Royal Bank of Scotland 'Protect the Tiger' award in Scotland, Wildlife Conservation Society Award, the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award, the Carl Zeiss Wildlife Conservation Award, Tiger Gold and more.