An 18-year-old engineering student was allegedly assaulted by a group of five individuals, including the owner of a boys’ paying guest (PG) accommodation, after he posted a negative review of the place online. The incident took place on the night of March 17 under the jurisdiction of the Kadri police station in Karnataka’s Mangaluru.
The victim, identified as Vikas, is a native of Kalaburagi and had been staying at the PG for the past six months before moving to another place. According to his complaint, he had given the PG a one-star rating on Google, citing poor hygiene, unclean toilets and insects in the food.
Following the review, the PG owner, Santosh, allegedly threatened Vikas and demanded that he delete the comment. When Vikas refused, Santosh and four others allegedly assaulted him and forcibly made him remove the review.
Police have registered a case against the PG owner and his associates based on the victim’s complaint. Further investigation is underway.
