Muslim man assaulted for refusing to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in Uttarakhand
Dehradun: A Muslim man was assaulted by three people in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal for refusing to chant “Jai Shri Ram” on Independence Day.
According to Kashmir Media Service, a video of the incident showed the man bleeding after being beaten up by the accused.
The survivor of the hate crime has been identified as Rizwan Ahmad, a resident of Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. The culprits have been identified as Mukesh Bhatt, Naveen Bhandari, and Manish Bisht.
In his police complaint, Rizwan Ahmad stated that when he went to drink tea at the shop run by a man named Rakesh Lal, he found three men already inside who appeared to be drunk. One of them, Mukesh Bhatt, demanded that Rizwan Ahmad chant “Jai Shri Ram.” When Ahmad refused, Bhatt and his two companions began abusing, assaulting, and threatening him.
The attackers grabbed Rizwan Ahmad’s beard, yanked it violently, and shouted that it should be cut off, all while recording the assault on video. They forced him to chant “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and “Jai Shri Ram.”
Rizwan Ahmad said he eventually managed to slip out through the back of the shop and fled towards his vehicle.
The video also showed Rizwan Ahmad being abused throughout and subjected to Islamophobic slurs by the accused.
One of the assailants is heard asking him why he could not chant “Bharat Mata ki Jai” on Independence Day, while another said, “If you want to live in Hindustan, you must chant Jai Shri Ram.”
The accused further declared that the government is that of Hindus, until Rizwan Ahmad feebly mumbled the chant. “We will cut you by halal, we will cut you by jhatka,” one of them is heard saying.
In his complaint, Rizwan Ahmad further stated that on the same day, the accused also targeted another Saharanpur resident, Muhtiyar Puttan Islam, attempting to coerce him into chanting “Jai Shri Ram.” KMS-21A
