Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – The pleasure of enjoying refreshing tea proved short-lived for some Muslim youths in Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur district on Thursday as a mob assaulted them after ascertaining their Muslim identity.
But, the police deny any communal angle and describe the incident as a case of personal animosity, reports reaching here said on Friday.
Arman, one of the victims of the assault, said as he arrived at a café with his friends for the evening tea, they were accosted by a group of 20-25 men.
“As we reached there, they came in front of us and asked our names. They asked whether we were Hindus or Muslims. As soon as we told our names, 10-12 persons started thrashing us with sticks, Arman was quoted by the local media as saying.
A local Congress leader said that they had received a message through social media that some youths were being beaten up after inquiring about their identities. He informed the local police about the incident. The police assured him that a police force patrolling the area had been directed to reach the spot.
According to the Congress leader, some drunkards and anti-social elements were trying to disturb the communal harmony and peace through their actions.
“Kapali town has no history of communal animosity. Some anti-social elements are trying to disturb this record of communal harmony,” he said.
In a video statement, a police officer said the assault was a result of a quarrel between two groups due to some unspecified animosity. He said 3-4 youths received minor injuries and were sent to a hospital. They had injury marks from being hit with sticks on their back and neck.
“We are identifying those who were involved in the assault. We are looking into the CCTV footage. Strict action will be taken against the culprits,” he said.
“There was no such thing as asking the names. They were assaulting anyone who was going there. Chairs of some shops were also vandalised. Our information so far says there were some other factors behind the incident,” said the police official.
