Muslim student goes missing after attack on train during Eid travel in Uttar Pradesh
Patna: A 20-year-old Muslim student from Bihar has gone missing after being assaulted by Hindutva goons during a train journey while returning home for Eid-ul-Adha holidays from BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh state, raising serious concerns over the safety of Muslim passengers on Indian railways.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the missing student has been identified as Faizan Ahmad Raza, a resident of Churaman Chak Bhatwaliya village under the Fulwaria police station area in Bihar’s Gopalganj district. He was pursuing Islamic studies at Darul Uloom Amjadia in Mau, Uttar Pradesh, and had boarded the Purvanchal Express to return home ahead of Eid celebrations.
Faizan’s father, Imtiaz Ahmad Raza, a government school teacher, said his son had contacted the family after boarding the train from Mau Junction. However, as the train crossed Belthara Road and moved toward Salempur station, Faizan sent a distressing message to his family reporting violence inside the train.
“Abbu, a fight has broken out here on the train… everyone is beating… I’m messaging while hiding,” the message read. Soon after, his phone went reachable unreachable and has remained switched off since.
The family said that Faizan may have been targeted and assaulted by extremist Hindu elements on the train. His disappearance has triggered panic and anguish among relatives, who say they have received no information about his whereabouts for hours after the attack.
A missing complaint has been lodged at the Fulwaria police station in Gopalganj, while authorities have launched efforts to trace him.
The family also reviewed CCTV footage from Mau railway station, where Faizan can be seen boarding the train. His father said he had advised him to avoid wearing visible religious attire such as kurta-pyjama or a skull cap during travel due to prevailing political tensions in the country.
Despite precautions, the incident has left the family in distress, with repeated appeals to police to urgently trace the missing student.
