Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — A Hindu mob waylaid three Muslim youths, brutally thrashed them and forced them to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in the Maharashtra city of Bhiwandi.
Reports reaching here said the incident occurred on Thursday as the youths, identified as Ghulam Dostagir, Mohammad Ayub, and Aaqif, were returning on a motorcycle from a petrol pump when they were accosted by the Hindu mob.
According to the victims, the mob initially attacked another individual when the trio passed by. “We saw a man being beaten up by a Hindutva mob. When we tried to continue on our way, they blocked us and attacked us without any reason,” Dostagir and Ayub said.
Ayub said the initial victim was able to escape before the mob turned their attention to them. “We were violently beaten and forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram,’” he said.
The two suffered serious injuries, and they credit the police for their timely intervention. “Only the police saved us,” Ayub stated. After the incident, the police took them to the hospital for treatment.
“They targeted the trio just because of their religious identity,” media reports quoted Dostagir’s brother as saying.
The incident has sparked a wave of anger and concern on social media, with many demanding justice and enhanced security for minority communities in India.
It also highlights the growing trend of religious violence, with calls for swift legal action and protection for vulnerable groups becoming increasingly urgent.