Muslim man assaulted, forced to chant Hindu slogan in India

• Video shows victim’s daughter begging the attackers to free him.
• Incident occurs near a spot where a Hindu nationalist group held a meeting.
• Police say victim hails from a family, engaged in a dispute with a Hindu family.

LUCKNOW: A middle-aged Muslim resident of Kanpur Town in Uttar Pradesh was dragged into a street, attacked, and forced to shout the ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan, a new report published NDTV said Thursday.

The publication stated that a video of the incident, shot with a mobile phone’s camera, showed the victim’s little daughter clinging to him and begging the attackers to free him.

The video followed with the scenes of the 45-year-old man being beaten in police custody as well.

According to the publication, the distressing incident took place at a distance of 500 metres from a spot where a Hindu nationalist group Bajrang Dal held a meeting to imply that Muslim residents of the area were forcing a Hindu girl into embracing Islam.

The news report cited the victim’s complaint as stating that he was attacked by the accused at around 3pm while driving his rickshaw.

The victim claimed that the attackers threatened of killing him and his family.

However, he hasn’t spoken to the media yet.

A statement issued by Kanpur police said that a case on to the assault was registered against a local, who owns a marriage band, his son, and 10 other unidentified men. The police haven’t commented on whether the accused are affiliated with the organisation.

Though, they say that the victim is linked with a family which is engaged in a legal dispute with a Hindu family in their neighbourhood.

“Initially, the Muslim family filed a case back in July, accusing the Hindus of criminal intimidation, which was responded with the registration of another case by the Hindu family, alleging of assault to violate the modesty of a woman,” said the police statement.