Goa, June 7 -- Five days after a brutal assault at the Mapusa-Bastora junction, the emotional trauma lingers for Vivek and Shruthi Shirodkar, a young couple who were mercilessly beaten by a group of nearly 15 individuals as dozens of bystanders looked on without intervening.

Speaking to O Heraldo, Shruthi, who is three months pregnant, shared how the attack came just a day before they were to go for their first prenatal scan. "We were so excited to hear our baby's heartbeat," she said. "We never imagined we'd be beaten on the street like criminals."

The incident began as a verbal dispute but escalated into violence on a Monday afternoon. Married for just over a year after eight years of courtship, the couple were left bruised and shaken...