Konaje: Woman assaulted with beer bottle at Pajiru Church; CCTV captures attack

Mangalore Today News Network

Ullal, January 19, 2026: An incident in which a man assaulted a woman, who is also a Congress worker, with a beer bottle occurred in Pajiru village under the jurisdiction of Konaje police station. The woman had gone to attend a Ros (post-funeral prayer) ceremony. Although a case has been registered, the accused has not yet been arrested and is on the run.

The incident took place on the night of January 6 at the Pajiru Church Hall. The victim has been identified as Sunita Lobo, a former member of the Pajiru Gram Panchayat. The accused is Valerian D’Souza. Both belong to Pajiru village, and there has been longstanding enmity between the two families. On January 6, Sunita Lobo and her family were attending a relative’s Ros ceremony when an argument broke out over a minor issue of physical contact. During the altercation, Valerian D’Souza allegedly brought a beer bottle and assaulted the woman.

CCTV footage shows Valerian D’Souza holding bottles in both hands and attacking Sunita Lobo. Subsequently, the woman’s husband and son, who were with her, also allegedly assaulted Valerian. Valerian, in turn, filed a counter-complaint, which has been registered at the Konaje police station.

Due to a blow to her forehead, Sunita Lobo collapsed at the spot after losing consciousness and was later admitted to a hospital, where she remained for a week. Meanwhile, Valerian D’Souza was also admitted to hospitals and has allegedly been evading arrest for the past ten days by moving between different hospitals. Sunita Lobo has accused the police of negligence, stating that despite the assault being clearly captured on CCTV, the police have failed to register a case of attempt to murder.

Sunita Lobo is a Congress worker and had won the Pajiru Gram Panchayat election in 2015. She stated that Valerian D’Souza had earlier tried to secure a Congress ticket for his wife and, after failing, had fielded her as an independent candidate in an attempt to defeat Sunita. However, Sunita Lobo won the election. She alleged that out of resentment over this defeat, Valerian has repeatedly picked fights with her family over trivial matters in an attempt to settle scores.

The Ullal Mahila Congress has condemned the attack and met the Police Commissioner, demanding strict action against Valerian D’Souza. A complaint has also been submitted to the Women’s Commission. Commission Chairperson Nagalakshmi Chowdhary has objected to the police’s lenient approach toward the accused and questioned why an attempt-to-murder case has not been registered despite clear CCTV footage showing the woman being attacked with a beer bottle.