Mangaluru, 2 May 

Two men were attacked in separate incidents in and around Mangaluru city on Friday, raising concerns about escalating communal tensions in coastal Karnataka.

Police are investigating possible links between these attacks and recent incidents in Dakshina Kannada district.

According to the police, CCTV footage has been secured in connection with the attack at Kuntikan, and investigation is on.

In the first incident, unidentified assailants in a car attempted to attack Luqman, a resident of Ullal involved in the fish trade, near Kuntikan locality.

According to eyewitnesses, a woman passerby raised an alarm, forcing the attackers to flee the scene. Lukman was taken to the hospital for treatment. CCTV footage of the attempted assault is currently under review by investigators.

In a separate incident in Kannur, on the outskirts of Mangaluru city, three unidentified individuals assaulted another youth, Naushad, while he was reportedly on his way to the market. He has been admitted to a private hospital and is undergoing treatment.

These incidents come amid heightened communal tensions in coastal Karnataka following the brutal murder of Suhas Shetty, a Hindu activist here on 1 May.