Muslim rickshaw driver beat up, assaulted by Indian traffic police in UP
Kanpur: A Muslim auto-rickshaw driver, Mohammad Danish, was beat up and assulated by Indian traffic police on his religion in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state Uttar Pradesh.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the auto-rickshaw driver said Kanpur traffic police harassed him based on the basis of his religion.
In the self-recorded video, Danish can be heard confronting police personnel on the spot. He said: “They hit me with batons, brother. They are beating me for being Muslim. They’re saying, ‘He’s Muslim, beat him.’ They are seizing my vehicle and claiming they are police officers.”
The clip shows Danish arguing with officers while another policeman films him. Danish said the officers threatened to file false cases against him and send him to jail. When one officer points a phone camera at him and says the driver has no license, Danish retorts:
“So if I don’t have a licence, you will beat me? Yes, I have a license — I’ll get it and show you right now.”
Circulating on social media, police officers called him “katua” — a derogatory slur used for Muslims— and said, “Why do you even talk to these people?”
Danish says he was struck with batons by traffic police. His auto-rickshaw was impounded despite his claiming all documents were valid.
The victim has specifically named Traffic Police officer Anupam Singh, said he demanded a Rs 10,000 bribe. He said he was threatened with jail solely because of his Muslim identity when he protested the seizure of his vehicle.
The auto driver Danish is calling for a fair inquiry. The auto driver maintains that he was repairing his vehicle at the location when police intervened. The report from Uttar Pradesh frames the incident as part of a broader claim that communalism is becoming “institutionalised” in the BJP ruled state.
The video continues to circulate widely, with citizens and activists pushing for accountability.
