The men threatened and harassed the imam, recorded videos of the incident, and later circulated them on social media
NEW DELHI — A group of men allegedly compelled an imam to raise Hindu slogans, including “Jai Shri Ram” in Yawal taluka of Maharashtra’s Jalgaon District. The imam, Hafiz Qasim Ali of Marul village, was en route to lead prayers in Parola village when the group stopped him.
The men threatened and harassed the imam, recorded videos of the incident on their mobile phones, and later circulated them on social media.
In the undated video, the imam is seen being intercepted by four to five men and allegedly forced to chant slogans eulogising other Hindu deities and Chhatrapati Shivaji.
The videos quickly drew widespread attention online, with many expressing concerns over what they described as a growing pattern of incidents in which Muslims are targeted and compelled to chant religious slogans.
AIMIM national spokesperson Waris Pathan, while condemning the incident, described the Jalgaon act as “highly condemnable and alarming.”
“No citizen should be intimidated, threatened, or forced to chant any slogan against their will,” Pathan posted on X.
He further confirmed that after the matter was brought to the attention of the authorities, an FIR was registered against the accused.
“An FIR has already been registered at Parola Police Station in this case, which shows the matter is serious and under investigation,” Pathan stated on X.
One social media user wrote, “Hafiz Ali simply went to lead prayers at a mosque, doing his religious duty, and was threatened, harassed, and forcibly made to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Jai Shivaji’.”
He further added, “This is not an ‘isolated incident’; this is open terrorism against Muslims, an attempt to humiliate, intimidate, and erase our identity in our own country.”
https://x.com/Muslim_ITCell/status/2065105910628753711?s=20
As the incident gained wider attention, another video surfaced online showing one of the perpetrators apologising for hurting the sentiments of Muslims. The apology video appeared after the incident triggered public outrage and police action, although officials have not publicly commented on the matter.
The episode is not an isolated one. Over the years, Muslim clerics, labourers, students and other civilians have been threatened and subjected to assault and public humiliation after being forced to chant religious slogans like Jai Shri Ram in public.
