Youth alleges harassment for not knowing Kannada

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: A youth from Bihar who was working at an eatery in the city claimed that he was harassed for being a non-Kannadiga. The youth recorded a video regarding the incident and shared it on a social media platform.

According to the police, the incident took place near Mahalakshmi Puram in North Bengaluru where an altercation broke out between a young man, identified as Nitish Yadav, from Bihar and some customers over a soiled note. Amid the heated exchange, one of the customers allegedly abused and hurled xenophile remarks against the youth for not being able to speak Kannada.

In retaliation, Nitish took to Facebook to call out the alleged abusers. Reportedly, the youth, who worked in a bakery, left for Bihar just a day after the incident, the police said. "We Hindiwalas feed these people and now they come and hit us? I am working here out of necessity and these people have abused me. Is Bihari a cuss word? I challenge Karnataka, those who want to hit a Bihari come and do it. Is this the justice the government is giving us?" he asked.

Due to the video being widely circulated on social media, the row over Hindi vs Kannada was again raked up by several netizens. Speaking to reporters after the video surfaced online, the owner of the bakery and Nitish’s employer alleged that he faced similar abuse in the past also for not being able to speak in Kannada.

"This particular incident took place when I was not here. One of the customers gave a torn note in exchange for the food, to which Nitish raised objections and the customers began to abuse Nitesh," the bakery owner said. ACP Bengaluru North division arrived at the spot and took stock of the incident. Commissioner CH Pratap Reddy on Thursday said that the police have registered a suo moto case in the matter and are in touch with Nitish.

"We also came across the man’s social media post. Proactively our team from the North division has contacted the individual who has posted this and is in touch with the youth. As per the preliminary probe, the incident took place on April 7 when an altercation broke out between a bakery worker and a few customers over speaking the Kannada language. We have launched our suo-moto enquiry in the matter," said the Commissioner.