Junaid Babu, a resident of Darvaispur village in Kaushambi district of Uttar Pradesh has alleged that he was brutally beaten in the police custody as he asked them to not enter the mosque wearing shoes.
In a video surfaced on social media, Junaid can be heard explaining his ordeal.
He said: “Two police constables, who came to remove the loudspeakers meant to make a prayer call in a mosque, went straight inside it wearing shoes and didn’t listen to me when I asked them not to.”
“While returning they pointed me out saying ‘ye zyada bol rhehain’ (he is speaking too much) and dragged me into their police jeep”, he added.
मस्जिद से लाउडस्पीकर उतारने पहुंची पुलिस को जूता पहनकर मस्जिद में प्रवेश से रोकने पर जुनैद नामी युवक को थाने ले जाकर बुरी तरह पीटने का आरोप.
— Ashraf Hussain (@AshrafFem) June 11, 2023
मामला यूपी कौशाम्बी के कोखराज थाना क्षेत्र दरवेसपुर का.
महोदय @kaushambipolice मामले को संज्ञान में लेकर जाँच पश्चात अवयशक कार्रवाई करें. pic.twitter.com/eUA24rhY3u
He continued: “Police took me to police station and kept me there for some time and started beating me vigorously on my body, hands and ears.”
Eventually, Junaid said, he was let go later that day, after the officer threatened him with consequences if he ever spoke about the assault he faced in the police station and what had happened.
“They also shot a video of me”, said Junaid.
The Darvaispur village falls under the jurisdiction of Kokhraj Police Station.
Inspector Maurya denied the claims made by Babu and said to Maktoob: “As asked by him, the officers took off their shoes before entering the mosque, as we respect all religions.”
When asked about the wounds Junaid showed in the video, Maurya said: “He got it while he was removing the loudspeaker from the mosque as we asked him to get it down.”
However, the photographs of the Muslim youth suggest scars on his body and substantiate the assault he faced.
According to the local newspapers, Junaid met the Superintendent of Police, explained the entire incident and showed his wounds.
Police has assured him to take a required action after an investigation, local media outlets reported.
