Having been attacked twice in four days,25-year-old Premanand Khomdrom is in a state of shock. Little wonder then that the hapless youngster wants to leave the city. I do not want to stay in Pune now. I am planning to go back to Manipur as soon as possible, he says. On Thursday evening,Khomdrom was attacked by a group of youths near Poona College where he is pursuing a part-time course. He suffered minor injuries on his back and hand. A complaint was lodged at the Lashkar police station. On Saturday around 9.30 pm,Khomdrom,who works at a footwear shop on FC Road,took a bus in Deccan. He got off at Ramtekdi around 10 pm and was walking towards his home. A mob of young men came from behind me and started beating me up. I began to run. Two of them chased me. One of them kicked me and I fell. They forced me get on one of their bikes and others followed in an autorickshaw. They took me near railway tracks,where they started hitting me with wooden rods. I told them that I was not from Assam but they did not listen to me. When I finally took out my driving licence,which had Government of Manipur written on it,they stopped and fled. Khomdrom said he kept screaming and urged his attackers to take him to a hospital but they paid no heed. I did not know what to do. I was feeling dizzy due to the head injuries. I called up the Cantonment police station to report what had happened. The officer there told me call up 100 and report the matter. After about 15-20 minutes,a police team came and took me Sassoon hospital, said Khomdrom who received at least seven stitches on his head. He also suffered injuries on his back and hand. On Sunday,his friends took him to a private hospital. The Pune police,however,have not yet registered an FIR in case of the second attack. Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjay Jadhav said,I am not aware of such an incident. I will have to check. Khomdrom said police just recorded his statement. These two mobs were different. In the first case,they had asked me if I was from Assam and started beating me up without waiting for an answer. This time,they did not even ask me where I was from. I had come to here to earn some money,as the job opportunities back home are scarce. I thought Pune was a better city compared to other metros,but this experience has forced me to make plans to go back home.
