Express News Service By

BENGALURU: The case of assault on some African nationals on Monday night has taken a curious turn with CCTV footage of the attack at a bar mysteriously disappearing.

Police officials, who visited Century Bar to collect the CCTV footage on Wednesday, were flummoxed when they were told by the bar management that a ‘woman police officer’ had taken the footage on Tuesday. Police suspect that the woman may be a local and are on the lookout for her.

Meanwhile, the city police have taken up a suo motu case regarding the assault on African nationals reported from Kothanur and Byrathi areas.

The victims have refused to file a complaint saying they do not want to precipitate the issue.

However, while denying that the attacks were racially motivated, Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Alok Kumar said the police have initiated an inquiry “considering the sensitivity of the issue.”

The Incident

According to the police, on Monday night, David, an African national who had come to the city to visit a friend, along with four others, was creating a ruckus near Blessing Park in Kothanur. Some 20-30 residents arrived at the spot and a heated argument ensued.

“David and his friends apparently used to break bottles, rev up their car and disturb peace,” said a senior police official.

During the argument, one of David’s friends was beaten up. However, the beat police reached the spot and dispersed the crowd.

Later that night, David took his friend to a hospital in Byrathi where, while he was getting some stitches, he heard from his friends that a mob was coming after them. Seeing the crowd, David rushed into Century Bar. Here, chairs were thrown at him and he was assaulted, police said.

According to senior police officials, David did not file a complaint in connection with this incident either.

“However, he was afraid and asked for protection. We have set up pickets across the area and deployed more officers on rounds to ensure they are safe,” a police official said.

According to Alok Kumar, David and his friends were evasive in their replies when he spoke to them. “We are investigating the incident, especially the one at the bar,” he said.

Police are also on the lookout for those involved in the attacks and said they had some clues regarding 4-5 people.

George: Conduct Peace Meetings

On the sidelines of the Cyber Forensic Lab inauguration, Home Minister K J George said the police and the Home Department had taken cognisance of the attack.

“Police are investigating into allegations that foreign nationals were being targeted. Both sides of the story will be considered during the investigation. To ensure that there is no law and order situation, we have also instructed the police to conduct peace meetings in the area,” George said.

MHA Issues Alert

In the light of the Dimapur (Nagaland) incident where a mob lynched a suspected rape accused, the Ministry of Home Affairs has sent an alert with regard to those from North East residing in other states, including Bengaluru and Gurgaon.

City police officers confirmed the alert and said the department was in talks with the leaders of the community. “We are in touch with the community leaders to instill confidence in them. However, on a cautionary note, we have also asked them to be discreet and to report any untoward incidents immediately,” a senior police official said.