AHMADABAD –  Police forces on Friday beaten up and detained Muslims in Ahmedabad’s Shahpur after a scuffle with the locals, who were out to buy essential items, broke out at the time of iftar.

The polices forces also reportedly barged into Muslim houses and beat up their family members including a pregnant lady.

According to locals, it all started with when Muslim women were out on the street near Sarkiwad to buy some essentials for Ramadan when they were waylaid by the police. A verbal exchanged ensued. The contention of the police was that they were only enforcing lockdown under which purchase of only milk and medicine is allowed.

Soon, an agitated crowd pelted stones at the police personnel on duty to enforce lockdown in the Shahpur area of Ahmedabad on May 8. The police lobbed tear gas shells, caned the crowd and detained 17 persons. Five policemen received injuries in the incident.

The area where the incident occurred is a containment zone.

“A police team visited Shahpur after learning that locals were coming out in large numbers despite the lockdown. When police asked them to stay indoors, people got angry and started throwing stones,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police Vijay Patel reportedly.

According to The Indian Express, a scuffle between residents and Rapid Action Force (RAF) team had broken out initially in the area. Some people were allegedly beaten up by the force’s personnel when they came out of their houses to buy food commodities.

Later, a police team reached the area, which is when the stone-pelting started.

Regarding the incident, Congress MLA Gyasuddin Shaikh told a daily that “better planning was required on behalf of the municipal authorities to ensure that people have their supply of food in place”. He expressed sympathies for both the police who have to do their duty and the public which has to buy essentials for its survival.

After the scuffle, locals are complaining that the police forces barged into their houses and beaten up their family members inside the house. Even, the pregnant lady was not spared.

The victim lady told a local news outlet that she had nothing to eat during this fasting time and her family is being beaten up by the police personnel who broke into her house .

This is from Shahpur, Ahemdabad, Gujarat.

This report says Gujarat police allegedly barged into houses during Iftar time and used brutal force, didn’t even spare a pregnant lady.

Full video : https://t.co/da1tOqpGt7 pic.twitter.com/Vy4CPA08dD

— Md Asif Khan‏‎‎‎‎‎‎ آصِف (@imMAK02) May 10, 2020

According to Atik Kagdi, the police personnel barged into his house breaking the door open. “They hit and abused my mother while she was reading some religious text. My wife, who was feeding my one-year son, was also thrashed by the police.”

Kagdi said his brother, Anas, was detained by the police.

Another local, Jainul Aabedeen, said his 65-years-old father, Ghulam Ahmed Sheikh, was taken away by the police. My father is a handicap. He cannot walk without a walking stick. He was mercilessly taken away by the police. Some locals alleged that the police broke windowpanes and mirrors of vehicles and dented bikes’ fuel tanks.

The state of Gujarat has reported the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases in India with 7,402 people infected so far.