Eyewitnesses say Maqsood Alam was beaten with sticks, kicked, and punched as vehicles passed by and some people took videos on their phones instead of helping him
NEW DELHI/PRATAPGARH – A young Muslim, Maqsood Alam, was nearly beaten to death by a violent mob in the middle of the road in Balipur in the Uttar Pradesh District of Pratapgarh, on Monday. His only fault: he had come to a hotel to meet a Hindu girl he knew. The girl later accused him of rape and blackmail, but before any trial or investigation, the mob took the law into its own hands and tried to kill him.
The shocking attack raises concerns about rising Islamophobia and mob violence in India, where Muslim men are increasingly targeted over interfaith relationships — a trend that many believe is supported, if not encouraged, by hardline Hindutva elements.
Maqsood Alam, 25, a resident of Gopalpur village in Dilippur area, had gone to a local hotel to meet the Hindu girl. According to police sources, the two had met earlier at a Jan Seva Kendra, where the girl worked and Maqsood had visited to withdraw money. That meeting turned into a friendship, and they had reportedly met a few times since.
On Monday, they arranged to meet again in the hotel. But soon after, the girl’s family members arrived and allegedly assaulted Maqsood inside the premises. As he tried to flee, he was chased onto the main road and attacked by a large mob.
Eyewitnesses say he was beaten with sticks, kicked, and punched as vehicles passed by and some people took videos on their phones instead of helping him.
“He was crying for help, but no one helped him. The people were shouting religious slurs and calling him a terrorist,” said Salim Ansari, a shopkeeper who witnessed the incident. “Is this what India has become? A country where Muslims are not safe to meet anyone?”
Maqsood’s family reached the spot after being informed by locals, but they were too frightened to intervene.
“We arrived and saw our son covered in blood. People were still beating him,” said Maqsood’s father, Haji Shafiq Alam. “We begged them to stop. But no one listened. We thought we had lost him.”
He added: “If this were a crime, the police should handle it. Who gave these people the right to punish my son?”
Maqsood was eventually rescued by police and rushed to the district hospital, where doctors said his condition was serious.
“He had multiple injuries and was bleeding heavily,” said Dr Ankur Mishra from the district hospital. “We are monitoring him closely.”
The girl later filed a complaint accusing Maqsood of rape and blackmail. According to her statement, Maqsood forced her into physical relations at the hotel and recorded a video, later using it to demand money. She claimed she had already paid him ₹2.5 lakh in parts and that he recently demanded ₹10 lakh more.
Police have registered a case against Maqsood under charges of rape, extortion, and criminal intimidation. However, no case was filed against the mob that tried to kill him.
When asked about this imbalance, CO City Shivnarayan said: “We have not received any complaint from Maqsood Alam’s side. CCTV footage from the hotel has been seized, and the investigation is on.”
Critics argue that this is a clear case of bias. Maqsood was nearly killed, but the focus is on the accusation, not the public assault.
“Is there one law for Muslims and another for the rest?” asked Raza Hashmi, a lawyer and human rights activist. “Even if he is accused of a crime, let the courts decide. But this lynching attempt shows how deep hatred against Muslims has become.”
Human rights groups and Muslim leaders have questioned the timing and nature of the rape allegation, suggesting it could be an attempt to cover up the mob violence.
“It has become a pattern in India,” said Maulana Niyazuddin, a senior cleric from Lucknow. “First, Muslim boys are beaten for being with Hindu girls. Then false cases are filed to justify the attack.”
He added: “Why was the girl meeting him if he was threatening her? Why did her family not file any complaint earlier if ₹2.5 lakh had been paid? We are not denying the right of the girl to complain, but the justice system must be fair to all.”
Social media has also erupted with anger, with several Muslim users questioning why no action was taken against the mob.
“This is not justice. This is public execution without a trial,” wrote one user on Twitter.
This is not the first time a Muslim man has been attacked for being with a Hindu woman in Uttar Pradesh. Over the past few years, there have been dozens of such cases, often fuelled by a campaign known as ‘Love Jihad’ — a conspiracy theory promoted by Hindutva groups that claims Muslim men lure Hindu women into marriage to convert them.
Though this theory has been widely discredited, it continues to be used to stir hate and fear.
In one case in Muzaffarnagar, a Muslim man was lynched in front of his wife. In another, a Muslim youth in Bareilly was forced to chant Hindu slogans after being caught talking to a Hindu woman.
“These are not isolated incidents,” said Dr Faizan Mustafa, an academic and legal scholar. “These are signs of a state where Muslims are constantly under suspicion and threat.”
He added: “The government must take firm action against mob justice. Otherwise, the rule of law will die.”
Interestingly, the case has also brought attention to how hotels in the area are operating. Police sources say that many small hotels rent out rooms for a few hours to young couples for as little as ₹500. In recent months, there have been complaints of illegal activities and even deaths inside such hotels.
A few days ago, the body of a girl was found in one of these hotels. Yet, no strict action has been taken.
“This shows the failure of local administration,” said Sushil Kumar, a local journalist. “Hotels are being misused, and police are either not aware or are looking the other way.”
Yet, despite this concern, the entire weight of the law in this case seems to have fallen on Maqsood Alam alone.
So far, no major political leader has condemned the mob attack. This silence has angered many in the Muslim community.
“When a cow is attacked, we hear loud voices from ministers. But when a Muslim is beaten half to death, no one says a word,” said Prof Farhat Ali, a political analyst. “What message does this send to Muslims in India?”
Several Muslim organisations and civil rights groups have demanded a fair probe into both the rape charges and the mob lynching.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board released a statement saying: “We demand that Maqsood Alam be given full legal support and that action be taken against those who took the law into their hands. No religion allows such public violence.”
The Jamaat-e-Islami Hind also condemned the incident, calling it “another example of anti-Muslim hate being normalised.”
They added: “India’s strength lies in its justice system. If Muslims are denied that, it will tear the social fabric of the country.”
The attack on Maqsood is not just about one man. It is about the growing fear among Indian Muslims that they can be assaulted, humiliated, or even killed simply for talking to someone from another community.
It is about the failure of the police to stop the mob. It is about the silence of politicians. It is about the courts being too slow. And it is about a society that watches such attacks and still refuses to speak out.
Until there is equal justice for all, the Indian Constitution remains only on paper. “My son is fighting for his life. I only ask — is this justice?” said Haji Shafiq Alam, holding back tears. “We are citizens of India. Not criminals. Let the courts decide, not the mobs.”
