The Uttar Pradesh Police mercilessly assaulted a Muslim man after the latter asked a police officer to take off his shoes before entering the mosque premises.
As per a report by Muslim Mirror, Junaid Babu, a resident of Darvespur village in Kaushambi in Uttar Pradesh said that e police officials, who had arrived to remove the loudspeaker used for the Azaan (call to prayer) at the mosque, of attempting to enter the mosque premises while still wearing their shoes.
Despite Junaid’s request for the police officers to remove their shoes, they disregarded his pleas and proceeded to remove the loudspeaker. Upon their return, the officers became agitated with Junaid’s insistence on the shoe removal and confronted him, stating “‘Ye zyada bol raha hai’ (He is speaking too much).”
https://twitter.com/AshrafFem/status/1667775019810955265
In the video, Junaid makes serious allegations, claiming that the police physically assaulted him in custody. He asserts that he was subjected to punches and severe beatings with sticks, resulting in visible bruises on his body, which he displays as evidence of the alleged assault. “I have sustained bruises on my body, hands, and ears.” “They thrashed me and threatened to imprison me if I revealed it to someone. They even recorded a video of mine before I was able to leave,” he says in the video.
However, Kokhraj Police Inspector K Maurya, in response to the allegations, refuted Junaid’s claims and declared them as false accusations against the police personnel involved in the incident.
Maurya conveyed this to the media, expressing his disagreement with Junaid’s version of events and asserting the innocence of the police officers. “The police respect all religions and consider all citizens the same,” said K Maurya. “The police officials went to the mosque to remove the loudspeaker which was installed there. We simply asked Junaid to remove the loudspeaker himself. Police didn’t enter the mosque with shoes these accusations are baseless,” he added.
When questioned about the visible bruises that Junaid had sustained, Inspector K Maurya offered an alternative explanation, suggesting that Junaid had fallen while attempting to bring down the loudspeaker. According to Maurya, the injuries were a result of Junaid’s own actions rather than any physical assault by the police officers. “Higher police authority has taken note of Junaid’s complaint. The investigation is going on and the truth will be unveiled,” stated Maurya.
In response to inquiries regarding the removal of loudspeakers, Inspector K Maurya stated that the police had received directives from higher authorities to remove loudspeakers from all religious establishments. He implied that the action taken by the police officers was in compliance with these orders and not related to any bias or discrimination against a specific religious group.
“Three Hindu men from the village came to the police station and complained about the loudspeaker. As we have orders from the authorities, are forced to take action,” he said.