Team Clarion
MUMBAI – Four persons accused of assaulting an elderly Muslim man, Haji Ashraf Munyar, on a moving train near Maharashtra’s Igatpuri, were granted bail by a court on Monday on the very day a case was filed against them.
The accused got bail shortly after the Thane Government Railway Police (GRP) filed an FIR against them.
According to reports, the victim requested police to invoke serious charges, such as an attempt to murder, against the perpetrators in the FIR. However, the police booked the accused under lenient sections. Consequently, the court set the bail amount at Rs 15,000 for each accused, a decision that has sparked debate over the handling of the case and the severity of the charges.
It is also alleged that over a dozen people were involved in the incident as is seen in the viral video, but most of them have yet to be arrested.
READ ALSO: Elderly Muslim Victim of Mob Assault on Train Goes into Deep Depression
All India Majlis-e Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi also condemned the attack. Owaisi highlighted growing concerns about violence and discrimination against minority communities in the region.
Haji Ashraf Munyar, resident of Jalgaon district, was assaulted by a mob on an express train near Igatpuri in Maharashtra’s Nashik district on Wednesday. According to the GRP, the attack occurred when Munyar was travelling to his daughter’s house in Kalyan, with the assailants suspecting him of carrying beef.
READ ALSO: Elderly Muslim Man Brutally Beaten in Train; Family Refutes Suicide Rumours
According to media reports, one of the accused who was seen slapping and abusing the elderly man in the video has been identified as Aashu Avhad, son of SRPF (Special Reserved Police Force). They were all travelling to appear in a police exam in Mumbai.
READ ALSO: Suspicion of Beef Consumption: Muslim Rag Picker Beaten to Death in Haryana
