Theatre artist in West Bengal says he was brutally beaten by four men after suspected him of being Muslim
Kolkata: A theatre artist in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas District has alleged that he was stopped and brutally beaten by four men after they suspected him of being Muslim because he was wearing a black kurta-pyjama.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Shubhankar Das Sharma said the attack took place on the night of 28 July near Agarpara railway station when he and a fellow theatre artist were returning home after a programme.
According to Sharma, the four men stopped them on the way and began questioning him about his religion after noticing his clothes. He said the attackers asked him whether he was Muslim.
Sharma said he responded: “If I am a Muslim, so what?” He also told them that he lived in a free country and was not obliged to disclose his religion to strangers.
According to the theatre artist, the response angered the men, who then began beating him repeatedly, questioning him about his religious identity.
Sharma said that he was punched and kicked and attacked around his face, eye, ear and chest. He said he was eventually knocked to the ground and that the attackers tore his kurta during the assault. He also said that the attackers shouted Hindu religious slogans while beating him.
Sharma said he lost consciousness for some time during the attack. After regaining consciousness, he somehow managed to return home.
He said the severe physical injuries were followed by considerable mental distress and fear. Initially, he did not make the incident public because he was afraid and hoped that the matter could be resolved locally without becoming a larger dispute.
“I wanted the matter to be resolved at the local level and did not want it to become bigger,” Sharma said in recounting why he initially remained silent about the incident.
He later shared his account on social media, along with photographs showing swelling around his left eye and visible injuries on his face.
On 3 August, Sharma said he was examined in three separate departments dealing with his eyes, bones and ear, nose and throat. The examinations, he said, confirmed an injury to his eye and a ruptured eardrum.
The ear injury is particularly serious for Sharma because, according to his account, it was caused during the alleged assault and required specialist medical attention.
The incident has also raised questions about the growing use of clothing and appearance as markers of religious identity in public spaces.
The case has raised wider concerns about religious profiling and whether people can feel safe in public without being questioned about their faith because of their clothes or appearance.
