A similar, terrible episode in Bengaluru has illustrated how small battles over seemingly trivial issues can easily grow into brutal mayhem. Mallikarjun, 24, an auto driver, had been viciously killed in a spat that allegedly involved a theft of a pigeon, the authorities said. It occurred within the jurisdiction of the Rajagopalnagar Police Station (RPS).
Mallikarjun, a Laggere man who is the son of Shankar Rao and Annapurna, died Monday night in an attack by a mob of young, violent crowds on him, police said. The battle escalated once more when Mallikarjun’s friend, Prashanth, allegedly had his pigeon stolen by a group of local youths, named Surendra, Darshan and Mahendra.
Soon, it took a turn for the worse for the two. A friend called him, and Mallikarjun rushed over, unaware that danger was just around the corner. A witness explained that the clashes turned into an alleged physical altercation in which Mallikarjun was apparently assaulted with sharp weapons. He was with multiple stab wounds on his back and other parts of the body that he wasn't working on at that time, thanks to an accompanying police officer.
The attack caused massive blood loss, which knocked him nearly down as he tried to rise. Witnesses took him to a nearby private hospital, where doctors scrambled to save him. Mallikarjun was treated with nearly six units of blood but died from injuries in the process of treatment.
The loss has devastated his family. His parents, the piece said, purchased a new auto-rickshaw for him a week before. They are now mourning his brutal death and calling for harsh punishment of those who have caused it to take place. The police, who were present at Rajagopalnagar Station, responded rapidly after the incident came to light. There are five persons also arrested, including Surendra, Darshan and Mahendra, in the case, the indictment of the murder says.
After the matter was heard about, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-West Division), D. L Nagesh, said it was just a minor skirmish which led to an assault that killed. The accused, he said, are being interrogated, and other investigations are in progress. That sort of conflict also matters to young people in cities, and the incident is one small piece of a larger problem globally for youth violence.
