Ghaziabad: An elderly Muslim man was physically assaulted by a group of Hindu men in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad district for not chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan, reports said.
Statement of Abdul Samad Saifi.
This old Muslim man was attacked by 5 Hindutva extremists in Loni, Ghaziabad.
He alleges that attackers put gun on his head, he was forced to chant Jai Sri Ram and they brutally beaten him up and chopped off his beard. pic.twitter.com/GcnGeQJk4V
— Md Asif Khan (@imMAK02) June 14, 2021
The incident took place in the town of Loni when the elderly man was on his way to a mosque to offer prayers on June 5, and came into light on Monday.
A video of the vile incident has been circulated online. The video shows at least two other young men attacking Samad – one wearing a black shirt and red trousers, and another in a light-blue T-shirt and grey trousers.
Abdul Samad was allegedly kidnapped by few locals who took him to an isolated place, assaulted him, and forced him to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Vande Mataram’.
According to reports, the attackers accused Samad of being a Pakistani spy and one of the attackers threatened the elderly man with a knife.
The victim alleged that attackers cut his beard and also showed him a video of other Muslims being attacked.
“I was on my way when an auto-rickshaw driver offered me a lift. Later two more men got inside the auto and told me to stay. Then they took me to a jungle and locked me up in a room and thrashed me. They asked me to chant Jai Shri Ram and Vande Matram…They snatched my phone and broke my watch. They then got scissors and cut my beard,” a visibly petrified Samad narrated the incident, breaking down into tears, reports said.
“They also threatened to kill me. They showed a video of them attacking other Muslims,” Samad was quoted a saying.
In the video of the assault that has gone viral on social media, two people can be seen manhandling the old man and beating him up with wooden sticks.
In the recent past, several incidents of clashes and violence have been reported in different parts of the country over chanting of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan.
Last week, an inmate at Tihar Jail, had moved a Delhi court claiming that he was beaten up by other inmates and forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’.
In 2019, 49 prominent celebrities had written to Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, expressing concern that ‘Jai Shri Ram’ had become a war cry.
“Regrettably “Jai Shri Ram” has become a provocative “war cry” today that leads to law and order problems, and many lynchings take place in its name. It is shocking that so much violence should be perpetrated in the name of religion!… The name of Ram is sacred to many in the majority community of India,” the letter had said.
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