MANGALURU: In what appears to be a continuation of escalating communal violence in Karnataka's coastal belt, two Muslim youths were attacked in separate incidents in Mangaluru city on Thursday.

In the Kuntikan area, Lukman, a fish trader from Ullal, narrowly escaped a murder attempt when unidentified assailants arrived in a car and tried to attack him. The attackers fled when a woman passerby began shouting for help, potentially saving Lukman's life. He was later taken to a hospital for treatment. CCTV footage has captured the incident and is now with the police.

In another case from Kannur, three unidentified men assaulted a youth named Naushad while he was heading to the market. He is currently being treated in a private hospital.

These back-to-back assaults come in the wake of multiple religion-based killings in Karnataka over the past three days. On April 29, Bajpe witnessed the murder of Suhas Shetty, a Hindu youth, sparking outrage and calls for an NIA investigation. Just a day later, reports emerged of a Muslim youth being killed in Belagavi district, allegedly in a communal dispute.

The sequence of violent incidents has triggered concerns about the re-emergence of polarisation in a region already known for its sensitive communal fabric. Police are investigating all recent incidents and have increased surveillance in vulnerable areas.