Ghazala Ahmad | Clarion India
NEW DELHI – A Muslim youth, identified as Shahrukh Khan, was brutally assaulted, abused and tortured by a mob in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad on Monday.
In a video that went viral on social media, a mob is seen abusing, assaulting, and tonsuring the youth who was accused of theft.
Khan could be seen pleading for help and mercy from his assaulters. All his pleadings fell on deaf ears and the hapless youth was captured by the rowdy and violent mob. The goons then shaved his head, the video suggests.
The same video was posted on Facebook by Aastha Ma, a self-proclaimed female Hindu religious leader and national president of ‘Uttisth Bharat’. The description of the religious organization on Facebook reads: “O Hindu Brothers! The Holy land of Bharat is a self-materialised ‘Hindu Nation’. Her Facebook page has 2.6 K followers.
Taking responsibility of the incident, Aastha Ma wrote on her Facebook page in Hindi, which translates in English as “Today, one Shahrukh Khan has been caught; he had a razor in his pocket, used by barbers. He was beaten up by people, but I told them to shave his head instead, and he was tonsured then, very beautiful. Will you not congratulate me? Her post was followed by emoticons representing joy. However, the post stands deleted now.
As the incident came to light and surfaced on social media, the Ghaziabad Police on Tuesday informed through a tweet that action has been initiated against those involved in the matter.
Five persons have been arrested so far. They are Salman, Shahrukh, Anil Kumar, Jaikishan aka Pandit and Wajid, as per the circular issued by the Police Commissionerate of Ghaziabad.
Clarion India contacted Ghaziabad Police for comments and the status of the investigation into the case. Deeksha Sharma, DCP Trans Hindon Ghaziabad, told Clarion India: “The incident took place 3 days ago, but came to light yesterday. Five people have been arrested in the case, based on the information gathered by us through social media and after speaking with the people present at the spot during the incident.”
She said, “The man who is being assaulted in the video is accused of stealing Rs 100 and has not been arrested yet. There is no communal angle as per our investigation so far.”
When asked about any action against Aastha Maa owning up the responsibility of the incident on her Facebook post, she said she was not aware of it.
Far-right leader Aastha Maa has a history of indulging in such illegal acts and inciting violence against minorities and Muslims. She also enjoys a lot of support from right-wing groups.
In 2021, February, another video of her surfaced on social media where she was seen vandalising the house of an accused in the Rinku Sharma murder case in Mangolpuri.
In the video which is still available on YouTube, she is seen vandalising the house and inciting Hindus against Muslims.
Clarion India again approached DCP Deeksha Sharma to follow up on the Aastha Maa post. “I am on a law-and-order duty because of Holi and cannot respond to you now.”
However, screenshots of Aastha Maa’s Facebook page have also been making rounds on social media and several people are seeking accountability and action from the Ghaziabad Police. No action has been taken against her so far.
