Aussie tourist attacked in India after allegedly ‘misbehaving’ with women while drunk

A Melbourne man has been bashed and tied to a pole by an angry mob of men in an Indian village for allegedly “misbehaving” with women. WARNING: Graphic

An Australian tourist has been pictured bloodied and bound with ropes in and Indian hospital after being beaten by a mob in a rural village.

Melbourne man William K James, 35, was attacked in Karnakata state in the country’s southwest on Tuesday. He was set upon for allegedly drunkenly “misbehaving” with women.

Local police said he sustained severe injuries but is in a stable condition.

William K James was beaten by villagers after he allegedly drunkenly misbehaved with women. Picture: Facebook/M M Goudar

James was travelling by bus from Badami to the city of Bagalkot when he decided to alight at a village along the way.

Bagalkot superintendent of police Lokesh Jagalasar alleged he was in an inebriated state, and was involved in an altercation with villagers after misbehaving with women.

When some men tried to stop him, he reportedly made a bid to attack them. The men tied him up to an electric post and assaulted him,” the officer said, according to Times of India.

Police said they were trying to establish why James got off the bus early, and added a language barrier may have contributed to the incident.

He was then transported to a hospital in Bagalkot where his “grievous injuries” were treated.

“He is safe and sound. He’s recovered well. He is in the hospital,” said local police chief Lokesh Jagalasar, from the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, according to the ABC.

He was taken to hospital with “grievous injuries”. Picture: Instagram/@justkannada

Charges listed under an FIR (first information report) registered against the villagers are voluntarily causing hurt and voluntarily causing grievous hurt. The report is the first step of legal action.

A number of suspects have been questioned, but police said the investigation was ongoing.

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“We are trying to ascertain how many people were involved in the assault and their identities,” Mr Jagalasar told The News Minute.

“We have not found videos of the assault but we will be forming a team to investigate the incident swiftly.”

A Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson told News Corp: “The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance, in accordance with the Consular Services Charter, to an Australian man in India. Owing to our privacy obligations, we are unable to provide further details.”

Originally published as Aussie tourist attacked in India after allegedly ‘misbehaving’ with women while drunk