Muslim man attacked by members of right-wing Hindu group

On 11 August a video of a Muslim man in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh being beaten up and paraded by a mob while his young daughter pleaded with them to spare his life went viral on social media.

In the video, the mob, allegedly belonging to the Bajrang Dal, a right-wing organisation, can be seen assaulting Aftar Ahmad, while the police watched on. The mob was also reported to have forced the man to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’, a Hindu chant. The man was later handed over to the police.

The incident happened metres away from where the Bajrang Dal had just concluded a meeting. They accused the victim of attempting to forcefully convert a Hindu woman in the locality. However, the victim’s family claim that the accusation is a lie and believe that he is being targeted because of his faith.

A first information report (FIR) – an initial police report – was registered by the victim’s family and three people were arrested on 12 August in connection to the attack. However, on 13 August, they were released on bail. Accusations of forceful conversion against Muslims have been very common in the recent past and several minority community members feel that such accusations are being used to frame them because of their religion or belief.

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said, “The fact that the victim was assaulted so mercilessly in front of the police is worrying. CSW also remains deeply concerned by the growing animosity towards the Muslim community in India. We urge the government to safeguard the rights of religious minorities, ensure the police are trained and equipped to promote peace between religious communities and further urge the government to pursue justice for victims of communal violence.”