In Baghpat district, Uttar Pradesh, a mosque imam became the victim of a brutal assault at the hands of alleged Hindu extremist individuals.
Hafiz Mujib-ur-Rehman, the cleric in question, had just finished performing ‘namaz’ at the mosque when he was targeted on his way back home.
The attackers, three men riding a motorcycle, subjected him to disrespectful behavior before launching a merciless physical assault. They brandished weapons, creating an atmosphere of fear and terror among the community members present at the scene.
Under the threat of further violence, the imam was coerced into chanting slogans associated with Hindu religious fervor, including “Jai Shri Ram” (Victory to Lord Ram). The entire act was filmed on one of the assailant’s mobile phones.
Hafiz Mujib-ur-Rehman later revealed that the attackers forced him to wear a saffron scarf and chanted the slogans while pulling his beard. He was warned against reporting the matter to the police, instilling further fear in him.
Hafiz Mujib-ur-Rehman said, “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.”
“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,” he told IANS.
The authorities were notified, and three men identified as Rahul Chauhan, Jitendra Sharma, and Neeraj Kumar were apprehended for their involvement in the attack and pressuring the imam to recite 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.