An Imam who led the prayer at a mosque in Maharashtra’s Anwa village was attacked by Hindu men who entered the mosque and beat him up for refusing to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram,’ a Hindutva war cry.
According to Zakir Sayyed Khaja, the incident happened on Sunday evening at approximately 7:30 pm while he was seated inside the mosque and reading the Quran.
Masked assailants barged into the mosque and coerced the Imam to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ while he was reciting the Quran. When the Imam refused to comply, three attackers dragged him outside and subjected him to physical assault. The Imam stated that his attackers rendered him unconscious with a cloth laced with chemicals. Upon regaining consciousness, he realised that his beard had been forcibly removed.
At 8 pm, when other Muslims arrived at the mosque for prayer, they saw Zakir Sayyed Khaja lying unconscious outside. They immediately shifted him to a government hospital in Sillod, from where he was subsequently transferred to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Aurangabad, where he is currently receiving medical treatment.
A case was registered at the Paradh police station in Bhokardan against the unidentified individuals under Sections 452 (trespassing after preparation for hurt, assault), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 34 (criminal act by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi took to social media to demand Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendr Fadnavis to take strict action against the assailants.
