An appalling incident occurred in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh where a mosque imam fell victim to a vicious assault perpetrated by alleged Hindu extremists.
The targeted cleric, Hafiz Mujib-ur-Rehman, had just concluded his prayers at the mosque when he was attacked on his way home. Riding on a motorcycle, three assailants subjected him to disrespectful behavior and launched a brutal physical assault, causing fear and terror among the witnesses present.
To further intimidate and humiliate the imam, the attackers brandished weapons and coerced him into chanting Hindu religious slogans, such as “Jai Shri Ram” (Victory to Lord Ram). Shockingly, the entire deplorable act was recorded on one of the assailant’s mobile phones.
Hafiz Mujib-ur-Rehman later disclosed that the assailants forced him to wear a saffron scarf while chanting the slogans and pulling his beard. He was also threatened with dire consequences if he dared to report the incident to the police, instilling even greater fear in him.
The imam recounted, “I was wearing a kurta pyjama and a skull cap. They stopped me, pulled my beard, wrapped a saffron scarf around my neck, and forced me to chant (Hindu religious) slogans.”
He added, “One of them filmed the entire act on his mobile phone. They threatened to kill me if I reported the matter to the police. I was scared, ran home, and did not tell anyone. My family sensed something wrong, and I had to eventually tell them what had happened.”
After the incident was reported to the authorities, three men identified as Rahul Chauhan, Jitendra Sharma, and Neeraj Kumar were apprehended for their involvement in the assault and coercing the imam to chant the religious slogans.
An FIR was registered against the unidentified individuals under various IPC sections, including 153-B (imputations, assertions, prejudicial to national integration), 342 (wrongful confinement), 505, and 506 (criminal intimidation).
Following the investigation, the arrested men confessed to being inebriated at the time of the incident. They have been sent to jail pending further legal proceedings.
