After a Muslim cloth peddler was brutally assaulted at Fatehpur Narayan village, under Kithor police station limits, in Meerut district, opposition parties alleged on Sunday that the incident was a targeted attack designed to create fear. While villagers and police claimed Arif was mistaken for a thief, the victim’s wife alleged that they were being forced to modify the complaint by the police.
“We have submitted a petition; the case is yet to be registered. My husband, who was selling clothes, was beaten, and now we are being pressured to change the petition by the Sub-Inspector,” said Tausima, the victim’s wife, in a viral video. The Hindu reached out to the Meerut police, including the Circle Officer, but failed to get any response.
Mob attack
The incident happened on July 26. The victim, along with one companion, was selling clothes in the village when 10-15 people gathered and began calling him a thief, demanded his Aadhar card, and proceeded to beat him up. He was taken to Meerut Medical College for treatment.
“This incident shows that there is a complete breakdown of law and order in the state. No one has the right to take the law into their hands; some people emboldened by the dispensation are attempting to create a Jangal Raj kind of situation in U.P.; it is a lynching attempt that aims to create fear,” said Imran Masood, Lok Sabha MP and a senior Congress leader.
Lok Sabha MP from Ghazipur, Afzal Ansari, said, “I condemn this incident, it is clear that the accused have no fear of the administration and rule of law. They know no proper action will be taken, and this encourages them to attack poor Muslims.”
