Bhatkal: A family outing for sightseeing at Hadavalli and Kuntavani, located around 20 km from Shamsuddin Circle on the Sagar Road, turned violent when a group of local residents allegedly attacked tourists from Bhatkal. Two persons, including a woman, sustained serious injuries and were admitted to a private hospital for treatment.

According to Fuzail Armar, a resident of Farooqui Street in Bhatkal, around 25 friends along with their families had gone on a picnic on Monday morning to Agga village in Hadavalli Panchayat, about 20 km from Bhatkal. While returning in the evening around 5:30 p.m., they stopped at Kuntavani, about 14 km from Bhatkal, for tea and snacks. After a brief halt, all vehicles left for Bhatkal except Fuzail’s car and a bike ridden by his friend Zia and his wife Aysha Lamia, who stayed back for a while.

Fuzail said that as he was about to start his car, a 20-year-old youth confronted him, accusing him of throwing two cold drink bottles near a roadside banner. Despite clarifying that their group hadn’t thrown the bottles, Fuzail said he removed them himself to avoid an argument. However, the youth began verbally abusing him. While Fuzail was trying to calm the situation, another person suddenly arrived from behind and attacked him. Soon, more people gathered at the spot and started hurling abuses at the women and children sitting in the car.

Meanwhile, Zia and his wife Aysha Lamia, who were on a bike nearby, approached to understand what was happening. At that point, a group of around 15 people allegedly attacked them as well. During the scuffle, Aysha Lamia’s hand was twisted, and she was pushed to the ground, causing a severe head injury.

According to Zia, they managed to escape from the spot but were chased by a group of four to five men on bikes and an auto-rickshaw. The attackers allegedly hit their bike near the Sagar Road bus depot, around 2 km from Bhatkal, causing them to fall, and then assaulted Zia before fleeing the scene.

He later informed his friend Fuzail about the incident, who rushed to the spot and took Zia and his injured wife Aysha Lamia to the government hospital in Bhatkal, where they received first aid. Later, both were admitted to Life Care Hospital for further treatment.

Doctors confirmed that Aysha Lamia sustained a scalp hematoma — a blood clot under the skin of the scalp — due to a head injury, and also suffered a fracture in one of her hands. Zia sustained injuries to his hands and legs, which were bandaged.

Upon receiving information about the incident, Bhatkal DySP Mahesh, Circle Police Inspector Manjunath Linga Reddy of the rural police station, and other police personnel visited the hospital and gathered details from the victims.

Adv. Afaaq Kola, social workers Irshad Gawai, Azizur Rahman Ruknuddin Nadvi, Syed Ali, and Irshad Siddiqa, along with several youths, were also present at the hospital.

A case has been registered at the Bhatkal Rural Police Station, and an investigation is underway.