A Muslim man in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district was beaten viciously by members of a right-wing Hindu group on 8 July after he refused to perform a Hindu chant at their request
Saheb Ali Khan, 32, first encountered his attackers on 4 July outside a shop where he had gone to buy milk. There was a group of five people standing front of the store, one of whom approached Mr Khan and asked him to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ (translation: ‘Long Live Shri Ram’, a Hindu deity), upon which Mr Khan quickly returned home.
On 8 July, Mr Khan returned to the same shop. He told CSW: ‘I was hoping that no one would be there. I just wanted to get the grocery items and rush home. There was one man sitting outside the shop, the same person who had asked me to chant Jai Shri Ram. He knew my routine and had been waiting for me. He forced me to chant, but I refused. He said he would make me do it. I told him he had no right and couldn’t force me. Immediately, I felt a huge blow on my stomach. He had kicked me and I fell to the ground.’
Mr Khan was subsequently assaulted by a group of around five others, who proceeded to beat him with iron rods and caused severe injuries and bleeding to his head.
Passers-by called the police and upon their arrival at the scene Mr Khan was rushed to the hospital, where he had to receive 15 stitches. A First Information Report (FIR), which is required for the police to open an investigation, was filed on 8 July at Subhash Nagar police station in Bhilwara against seven people under sections 147 (rioting), 295-A (hurting religious sentiments), 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 341 (wrongful restraint) of the Indian Penal Code.
Three people have been arrested so far and the investigation is ongoing. Mr Khan, who lives with his ailing mother, wife, and four children says they are all afraid to leave their home.
CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘CSW extends our deepest sympathies to Mr Khan and his family, who have been put through this traumatic ordeal. Hindu nationalism is a growing scourge in India and these are its consequences. While we welcome the fact that the police have made some headway in their investigation, the Indian authorities must do more to crack down on the narratives that embolden actors such as these to target religious minorities with such violence. We call on the state and federal authorities to ensure that all those responsible for this attack on Mr Khan are held to account, and to end the impunity that is so often enjoyed by perpetrators of similar crimes across the country.’
