Hyderabad: Maulana Sajid Rashidi, who is a regular participant in Indian news debates and is famous for his frank opinions, was attacked on Tuesday within a Noida-based television studio by two men reportedly linked with the Samajwadi Party.
The attack took place at a break in a TV debate during which Rashidi had allegedly made inflammatory statements against Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav. A clip of the attack has since become viral on social media, with two men, identified as Mohit Nagar and Kuldeep Bhati, approaching Rashidi and slapping him repeatedly before studio security personnel came to intervene.
Rashidi subsequently lodged a complaint with the police and accused the attack of having been planned. He claimed that it was not spontaneous, and he had been receiving threats for his statements.
According to reports, no formal FIR has yet been registered so far.
The incident has triggered sharp responses online, with some users condemning the use of violence inside a media space, while others defended the attackers, citing Rashidi’s provocative comments.
The channel in question has not issued a formal statement yet.
Rashidi, the president of the All India Imam Association, has a background of contentious TV appearances and often gets into arguments with political and religious rivals on TV. This is not the first time he has been criticised for his comments, but it is the first reported case of physical violence within a TV studio against him.
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