One of the miscreants attempted to chop 70-year-old Hussain Saab’s beard using a broken glass bottle. On failing, he lit a match stick and burnt his beard. As Saab cried out in agony, the ruffians responded with Islamophobic slurs and comments.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — A visually impaired Muslim septuagenarian was assaulted and forced to chant the Hindutva slogan of ‘Jai Sri Ram’ on the outskirts of Gangavathi city in Karnataka’s Koppal District.
The senior citizen, Hussain Saab, was beaten black and blue by a group of men and was compelled to raise the Hindutva slogan in an incident which occurred last week.
The local police have registered a case against some unidentified persons in connection with the incident.
Saab, a resident of Mehboob Nagar in Gangavathi town, became a victim of violence when he was returning home from Hospet, where he had gone for some personal work. Initially, Saab wanted to hail an auto but decided to walk the distance because of the exorbitant charges demanded by the auto driver.
As Saab started walking, some strangers on a motorbike approached him. Saab considered asking for a lift but the persons abused him physically and verbally, media reports reaching here said on Friday.
The motorbike riders forcibly took Saab to an isolated place in Siddikere. They assaulted him, pushed him to the ground, and dragged him by his legs which caused severe injuries to his back. One of the miscreants attempted to chop 70-year-old Saab’s beard using a broken glass bottle. On failing, he lit a match stick and burnt his beard. As Saab cried out in agony, the ruffians responded with Islamophobic slurs and comments.
“They took me… cut my beard, burnt my beard, and assaulted me. They hit me on my chest,” Saab was quoted by The Observer Post as saying.
Saying “Allah won’t come for your rescue now”, the miscreants continued to assault him until they heard dogs barking from a distance. Alarmed by the disturbance, some migrants who were close by, came to Saab’s rescue. On seeing people approaching, the attackers fled, threatening the old man.
Saab sustained injuries on his back. He had to be hospitalised three days after the incident due to difficulty in breathing caused by being hit on the chest. His condition was reported to be better after he was given oxygen.
A case has been registered at the Gangavathi Nagar Police Station based on the complaint filed by the victim.
