A Muslim family in Mumbai was reportedly forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ by a Hindutva mob during an assault. A horrific 26-second video of the incident, reportedly filmed on January 24, shows the Hindutva goons beating up a Muslim man while his wife and minor daughter scream for help in front of Panvel police station.
The Muslim family had come to the police station after facing harassment by a group of 30-40 students while travelling in Madgaon LTT Express on January 19, as per reports.
According to the victim Asif, he was travelling with his wife and two minor daughters from his village in Kankavli to Mumbai when the incident took place. He stated that as soon as they sat on their reserved seats, nearly 30-40 young men started chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram‘ slogans. While Asif and his family sat quietly, more people joined and started singing “Mere Bharat Ka Bachha Bachha Jai Shri Ram Bolega“.
Asif said, “My wife was the only woman wearing a burqa. The group came near us and asked us to say Jai Shri Ram. They were mostly students. After some time, their teacher came up to them and questioned their behaviour.”
When Asif objected, an argument ensued between them. “After that, they started harassing us by banging our seats, throwing tea on my daughter,” he told a local news channel.
When Asif requested the mob to leave them in peace but they not budge. He further said that upon alerting the railway officials, nothing was done. “The TC came, heard us and left. He did not initiate any enquiry against the mob,” he said.
“I questioned their teacher about the unruly behaviour of his students and which college did they belong to. I even tweeted the Rail Seva, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and the railway minister about the incident,” Asif said.
“Once we reached Panvel, the RPF approached us. This time, other members of our coach also complained about the students’ rowdy behaviour. When the RPF tried to nab the students, four of them escaped,” Asif said.
The Panvel RPF team asked us to lodge a complaint with the Railway Police Station. “However, we were not even allowed to lodge a police complaint for whatever reason,” Asif alleged. He was finally able to lodge a complaint at the Kankavli police station.
However, on January 24, Asif and his family were asked to come to the Kankavli police station. There, he alleged the presence of a BJP leader who demanded he withdraw the complaint. “When I refused, around 15-20 men came and started attacking and tearing my clothes and demanding I chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’. My wife and children were screaming for help but no one came forward,” Asif said, adding he filed another complaint naming 11 people.
“I was assaulted and the incident was recorded yet the police have booked me and are yet to catch hold of the men who beat me up,” Asif said.
