Imams in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh were physically assaulted by groups of Hindutva groups in two separate incidents, Siasat.com reported.
In Jalna district, Maharashtra, Imam Zakir Sayyed Khaja was attacked by a group of masked Hindu men while he was reading the Quran in a mosque on March 24. The attackers demanded him to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and upon refusal, assaulted him, rendering him unconscious and cutting his beard. He is currently receiving medical treatment at a local hospital.
A case has been registered against the unidentified attackers under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, and investigations are ongoing.
Similarly, in Kushinagar district, Uttar Pradesh, Imam Mohammad Kamran was attacked while having tea at a stall on March 28. He alleges that Hindutva men named Durgesh, Sunil, Pramod, and others attacked him with sticks, causing severe injuries, Hate Detector posted on its X handle.
Kamran accuses the police of bias, claiming they refused to register his complaint and instead filed a case against him and other Muslims.
Two FIRs have been lodged, one against the attackers and the other against the Muslims, with multiple sections of the IPC invoked. Kamran claims that several Muslim men have fled Kushinagar to avoid arrest.
