Karnataka police said there was no need to "sensationalise" the issue.
A man in his late twenties was assaulted by a group of students after he advocated the cause of a "Hindu Rashtra" during an argument that broke out at a mall in Karnataka's Mangaluru on Wednesday. Police arrested two people, one of whom is a juvenile, after a video of the assault was circulated on social media.
"There's no need to sensationalise the issue. We have registered a case against the attackers, and a search is on to track all the suspects," said Mangaluru Commissioner of Police PS Harsha.
According to news agency PTI, the case was registered after the victim -- Manjunath from Bantwal -- filed a complaint at the Pandeshwar police station. It quoted Manjunath as saying that India was a "Hindu Rashtra where Muslims are not welcome".
While a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against the arrested person, M Sawfan, action will be taken against the juvenile under provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act. Mangaluru is the parliamentary constituency of BJP state president Nalin Kateel.
The Dakshin Kannada district, which has its headquarters at Mangalore, is a communally sensitive region that frequently witnesses communal friction. A number of political killings had occurred in the district before the assembly elections in 2018, with Hindu and Muslim groups blaming each other.
A man was arrested in the city on September 1 for allegedly circulating hate messages on social media. Police took Zakir Ullal into custody after an examination of his mobile phone allegedly led to the recovery of incriminating evidence. "We practise zero-tolerance when it comes to people spreading communal hatred on social media," PS Harsha had said then.
In 2015, at least 30 people were injured and property worth lakhs of rupees were destroyed in communal clashes after over 25,000 Hindu right-wing activists converged for a meeting a place near Mangaluru. A mosque was attacked and several shops were set afire in the violence.
(With inputs from PTI)