Salman claimed he and his colleagues were verbally abused and thrashed by members of the right-wing outfit Hindu Yuva Vahini.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — A Muslim councillor allegedly bore the brunt of members of the right-wing outfit, Hindu Yuva Vahini, after he put “Shri” before his name on the nameplate at his residence in Modinagar district of Uttar Pradesh.
Hindu Yuva Vahini members allegedly assaulted the Muslim councillor Salman, and also accused him of similar behaviour with them. Both sides have filed complaints with the police blaming each other of high-handedness, media reports said on Friday.
The situation escalated at the Modinagar Municipal Council office on Wednesday evening over the nameplate issue. Salman, the Modinagar councillor from Ward-10, claimed that the nameplate with his ward number and “Shri” was installed by the municipality. He alleged that members of Hindu Yuva Vahini had been issuing threats to him over the past few days after he refused to remove “Shri” from his name, police officials said.
Salman lodged a complaint with ASP Gyan Prakash and went to the Municipal Council where a heated altercation between him and the outfit members took place.
Salman alleged that some Hindu Yuva Vahini members came in a car, forcibly took him from the office to another location and brutally thrashed him. Other councillors also arrived at the scene after news of the assault spread, leading to a clash between the two groups resulting in a melee and a free-for-all. Police arrived at the scene and brought the situation under control.
However, police complaints filed in this connection at the Modinagar police station show both parties accusing each other of assault. An investigation has been launched under the supervision of the ASP and the police assured that strict action will be taken against the guilty.
