Mangaluru : The Mangaluru City Police have so far arrested 15 persons in connection with the assault on a 28-year-old Muslim youth for talking to a Hindu girl in the heart of the city on Monday.

While about four assaulters were apprehended at the scene of offence, on the busy Attavar Main Road near KMC Hospital immediately, the remaining were arrested later, City Police Commissioner S. Murugan told. Some of the arrested are said to be members of Bajrang Dal.

The youth, named as Shakir and working in a supermarket, was in a car with the girl, who too works for the supermarket. On inquiring about the personal details of both, a group of youth dragged him out, disrobed him to his undergarments, tied him to an electric pole and thrashed him in full public view.

The incident has sent shockwaves across society. The Democratic Youth Federation of India has planned a protest decrying the incident in Mangaluru in the afternoon. Its leader, Muneer Katipalla, criticised the Siddaramaiah government for ‘failing’ to reign in communal forces. Though Dakshina Kannada district has four Ministers in the State Cabinet, they have failed to prevent the onslaught of communal forces, he said.

Mr. Murugan said the police reacted swiftly on learning about the incident. While assaults cannot always be prevented just by the police, what is alarming is the public reaction to the incident. Though hundreds were watching the assault, none dared to question the assailants, he regretted.

Meanwhile, the police are on the lookout for others involved in the incident. The arrested would be produced before the jurisdictional court, he said.

The victim is undergoing treatment in a private hospital in the city.