The victim said he had been working near the temple for several days and asserted that the plot of land where he offered namaz is quite far from the temple
NEW DELHI — A group of Hindutva men attacked, abused and humiliated an elderly Muslim man for offering namaz on a vacant plot of land near a temple in Uttarakhand’s Rudrapur, police said on Tuesday.
In a viral social media video, the group can be seen thrashing the elderly man with sticks and hurling abuses at him. The victim, Shahid, a resident of the Resham Bari area, is also seen being forced to chant Hindu religious slogans.
Shahid was beaten up, abused and humiliated for offering namaz near Atriya Temple in Jagatpura during the ongoing month of Ramadan, the police said.
Media reports reaching here on Wednesday quoted Shahid as saying that he had been working near the temple for several days and asserted that the plot of land where he offered namaz is quite far from the temple.
After learning about the incident, members of the Muslim community accompanied Shahid to the local police station and filed a complaint. They claimed that one of the accused was a murder convict and is currently out on parole.
Temple manager Arvind Sharma said activities associated with any other religion will not be tolerated on the temple land, even if a case is filed against him.
As the issue escalated, the police arrived at the spot and appealed to both communities to maintain peace.
Shahid was sent for a medical examination and a legal action would be taken based on the complaint, the police said.
Municipal Councillor Parvez Qureshi termed the incident unacceptable. “This matter is extremely serious. Assaulting a person is unacceptable. If anyone had any objection, the administration should have been informed. We demand an impartial investigation and strict action against the culprits to avoid a repeat of such incidents in the future,” he said.
Congress leader Sofia Naz termed the incident detrimental to social harmony. “Maintaining law and order in the state is the responsibility of the state government. Violence and forced chanting of slogans in the name of religion are against the spirit of the Constitution. The administration should take immediate action and provide justice to the victim,” Naz said.
