Muslim youth brutally assaulted, smeared with cow dung by Hindutva goons in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh
Bhopal: Amid growing concerns over the deteriorating condition of Muslims in India under the Hindutva-driven BJP regime, another shocking incident of anti-Muslim violence has emerged from Madhya Pradesh, where a Muslim youth was brutally assaulted, humiliated, and publicly paraded by a Hindutva mob affiliated with the extremist Bajrang Dal over allegations of so-called “love jihad.”
According to Kashmir Media Service, a video of the brutal assault has gone viral on social media, sparking outrage and renewed concerns over rising mob vigilantism and impunity enjoyed by Hindutva groups across India.
The victim, identified as Arif Khan, was attacked after members of the Hindutva group stormed a hotel in Bhopal where he was meeting a woman. The assailants, shouting slogans in support of the Bajrang Dal, interrogated the woman before turning violently on Khan. The attackers slapped and punched Khan inside the hotel before dragging him outside, paraded him on the road while brutally assaulting him after stripping him half-naked. The attackers, in an act of extreme humiliation, smeared his face with cow dung and ink and asked him to chant “Jai Shri Ram.”
At the police station, the woman – reportedly from Ayodhyanagar – clearly informed authorities that she had willingly come to meet Arif and faced no coercion, sexual misconduct, or forced religious conversion. She also declined to file any complaint against Arif.
Delhi-based civil rights group Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) and All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) filed complaints with the Govindpura police station, demanding strict legal action against the perpetrators. Speaking to media, advocate APCR state coordinator advocate Anwar Pathan said that although an FIR had been registered, it only addressed the derogatory remarks made by the attackers while assaulting Khan and not the physical violence itself. “We have provided them the video in which all the attackers can be clearly identified. But this is a BJP-ruled state, and the police will follow what they will be ordered to do. It was only after sustained pressure from our side that an FIR was finally lodged.”
In its complaint, APCR named Rohit Singh, Bujendra Prajapati, Jeetu Kushwaha, Ranjeet Suryavanshi, and other persons, as accused in the case.
The incident has once again highlighted the growing climate of fear, insecurity, and systemic discrimination confronting Muslims in India, where extremist Hindutva groups increasingly appear emboldened to target minorities with impunity.
