Local police in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit on Thursday booked 15 people, including Bajrang Dal leader Sanjay Mishra after a video of them assaulting a Muslim man at a busy intersection went viral on social media, triggering outrage.
The Hindutva Mob attacked Changez Khan on the night of September 1 at Banda Chowk under Puranpur police station limits, according to a complaint lodged by the mother of Changez Khan, PTI reported. The suspects are booked for attempt to murder.
According to a police official, a few days before the incident, Khan was booked for allegedly molesting a local woman after barging into her house. However, the official said the two incidents cannot be linked pending inquiry in the cases.
According to reports, the assailants took Khan to a nearby jungle, allegedly with the intent to kill him. However, police intervened and rescued him. One video show men thrashing Khan near a eatary with several objects and removing his shirt while stomping him.
In another video, made at a hospital, Khan narrated the attack.
The FIR has been lodged under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 191(2) and 191(3) – (both related to rioting), 190 (member of unlawful assembly), 109 (attempt to murder), and 351(3) (criminal intimidation), among others, police told PTI.
PTI also reported that Sanjay Mishra, district president of the Bajrang Dal, claimed that the incident involved a confrontation with motorcycle riders who were “forcibly” taking a girl away on their vehicle.
