K'taka V-Day: 200 foreign tourists allege police atrocity

Bangalore, Feb 22: Valentine's Day in Bangalore last week was not as lovey-dovey as it should have been for over 200 tourists in the city as they allege that the police has been harassing them.

The Karnataka State Human Rights Commission has taken up a suo motu cognisance after 200 tourists from 26 countries complained that they have been victims to police atrocities.

In fact, they had launched a Facebook campaign with pictures of the injured with testimonies of brazen behaviour by drunken policemen at the beach in the coastal town of Gokarna. The assault is said to have lasted for over 30 minutes.

On confronting the police, they said that it was a routine check on drug trafficking. They said,"After the Nigerian nationals incident in Goa, we have been doing these raids against drugs. We have arrested one person and recovered 20 grams of drugs," said Inspector General of Police, Pratap Reddy.

Nevertheless, the police has ordered an enquiry into the allegations by the tourists and has ordered an in-depth probe. The Karnataka Home Department has assured the foreigners that it will take action immediately after the police report is out.