In a shocking and rather violent incident of moral policing, a group of five — two girls and three boys — were harassed and even brutally beaten by alleged BJP workers at Tannirbavi Beach in Mangaluru after suspected inter-caste affair. The vigilantes even smashed the boys' who were from other religions but slunk away after the girls identified themselves as non-Hindus.

The victims who are students of a lab technician course at a city hospital were out on the beach on Saturday evening to celebrate one of the girl's birthday when three men forcefully started 'interrogating' them. The boys were physically assaulted when they tried to talk to them and their phones were snatched. One of the boy's sustained bruises after being thrashed with a helmet while the other two suffered heavy blows.

However, once the attackers realised that the girls were not Hindu, they left and told the boys to collect their phones later. The boys were then admitted to a private hospital. Based on the intimation from the hospital, the police attended to the victims and an FIR was registered based on their statement.

Panambur SI Venkatesh said, the accused Sukesh, Varun and Deekshit are said to be BJP workers. Their relatives are alleged to have complained to the police commissioner, accusing the youngsters of indecent behaviour at the beach, and for beating the locals up when confronted.

"It's not about girls and boys from different communities, the locals claim they were behaving indecently and were on drugs," said DCP Crime Uma Prashant. The accused were interrogated at Panambur police station on Sunday before they were produced in court.