INDIA

UP: Muslim youth assaulted for wearing skull cap at college campus

By News Desk

September 30, 2023

A young man was reportedly attacked by a group of individuals at a college campus in this location for wearing a skull cap while he was visiting to pay his sister’s fees.

A video capturing the incident has been widely shared on social media, IANS reported.

The video depicts the man removing his cap after the aggressors attempted to physically confront him by grabbing his collar, with one of them even picking up a brick.

According to the police, the incident occurred on Monday when Mohd Sahil, a resident of the Lisari Gate area, was waiting in line at the fee counter.

Mohd Imran, Sahil’s brother, who lodged a police complaint, stated, “Sahil was accompanied by our sister, who is a B.Sc. student at the college. Some young individuals started making communal remarks, objected to his skull cap, and insisted he take it off. Subsequently, they physically assaulted him. It was only when our sister called for help that they fled.”

Interestingly, the FIR does not specify the motive behind the assault, and the accused have been listed as “unknown” under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (provocation with intent to disturb peace), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

Imran expressed, “We clearly stated in our complaint that Sahil was attacked because of his skull cap. We are in communication with the police, urging them to include more severe charges in the FIR.”

Nonetheless, the police have asserted that there was no “religious aspect” to the incident.

The city’s Superintendent of Police, Piyush Kumar, explained, “Initial investigations indicate that the victim was merely using his mobile phone, and the youths attacked him suspecting that he was recording them. A thorough inquiry is underway.”