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The police have formed a special team to look into it: Bhuvann on mob violence incident

- Aayushi Parekh aayushi.parekh@partner.htdigital.in Actor

After experienci­ng verbal and physical assault at the hands of a group of people in Bengaluru, actorcoupl­e Harshika Poonacha and Bhuvann Ponnanna recently sought the help of authoritie­s. The unsettling episode unfolded on April 2, shortly after the duo, accompanie­d by Ponnanna’s sister, were leaving for home after dinner.

Sharing an update on the ongoing case, he tells us, “We have been visiting the police station regularly to keep a tab. From what we know, they have assembled a special team to look into the issue.”

Ponnanna recalls being berated and belittled by two motorists as regards operating their jeep. “I responded in Kannada, and that’s when it got worse. They started yelling in Hindi, asking us to speak their language. I retorted that I was in Karnataka and could speak Kannada wherever I wanted,” the 34-year-old adds.

The troublemak­ers even

Bengaluru is our city, and we will continue to navigate its streets without fear. We stand against such acts of intimidati­on.

BHUVANN PONNANNA,

pointed at Harshika and hurled sexist remarks at the trio. They said, ‘She’s fairskinne­d and doesn’t look like a local; these Kannada people are taking our girls away’. That’s when I told them to shut up... But I had to keep my cool,” Ponnanna tells us, adding that the aggressors “attempted to snatch valuables from us, including my gold chain and Harshika’s phone”.

The two individual­s were joined by a mob within minutes. “They tried to rob us, but we thwarted them, and Harshika promptly alerted the authoritie­s. That caused the mob to disperse hastily,” he says.

 ?? ?? The verbal altercatio­n turned into a robbery attempt, with Bhuvann Ponnanna sustaining scratches
The verbal altercatio­n turned into a robbery attempt, with Bhuvann Ponnanna sustaining scratches
 ?? PHOTO: INSTAGRAM ?? Bhuvann Ponnanna and Harshika Poonacha
PHOTO: INSTAGRAM Bhuvann Ponnanna and Harshika Poonacha

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