Hindutva extremists beat 72-year-old Muslim man, cut his beard off

A 72-year-old Muslim was mercilessly thrashed and his beard chopped off by Hindu extremists in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad for refusing to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Vande Mataram’.

According to Indian media reports, Abdus Samad, a resident of Bulandshahr was going to the mosque to offer his afternoon prayers when a group of Hindutva goons abducted and took him to a deserted room in a forested area nearby. There, they shouted ‘Jai Shri Ram‘ and ‘Vande Mataram’, forced him to repeat the slogans, and hit him with their hands and wooden sticks.

Samad said that the goons took him on a motorcycle saying that they will drop him at his destination but dragged him to a dark room, where they beat him up for hours. Samad alleged that the goons said, “Tu Pakistan ka jasoos hai (you are a spy of Pakistan)”. They robbed him of his walking stick, mobile phone and broke his watch, they then chopped off his beard with scissors.

The gang threatened to kill him and boasted, “Saare Muslmano ko maar denge (we will kill all Muslims)”, and showed him a video of them assaulting and killing another Muslim.

When the elderly Samad asked them for water they told him to drink urine.

Hyderabad MP and AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi took to Twitter and tweeted about the incident by referring to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and sought their attention and response.

They’ve repeatedly targeted Muslims’ beards. Maybe because they’re very insecure about their own faith & jealous of the commitment showed by Muslims to their own religion. 2/3 pic.twitter.com/aUaAOWUqrY

— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) June 14, 2021

In the video of the brutal attack, which was circulated online, Samad can be seen pleading with his attackers. Police have registered a case based on a compliant filed by Umeed Pehelwan Idrisi, a local politician from Samajwadi Party. NDTV reported one Pravesh Gujjar – believed to be the main accused has been arrested.

Idrisi alleged the police refused to take his complaint, but where he compelled to file an FIR, when he made a video of it on social media. “Earlier police refused to file the FIR, but when I went live from my Facebook Page to make people aware of the incident the police then agreed to file the complaint”, he alleged.

Idrisi also claimed that he and Abdus Samad are receiving threats and continuous pressure from unknown people for taking back their complaint and speaking to media. “But we are determined to fight for dignity and self-respect,” he added.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L1rLEmDd7s