Rudrapur (Uttarakhand), February 25 According to police, an elderly Muslim man was allegedly assaulted and forced to chant religious slogans after he offered namaz on a vacant plot in front of a temple here.
A video of the incident is circulating on social media. In the video, the accused are seen beating the man with sticks and abusing him.
The man, Shahid, who lives in the Resham Bari area, offered namaz during the ongoing month of Ramzan in front of the Atriya Temple in Jagatpura, the police said on Tuesday.
Shahid said that he had been working near the temple for several days and claimed that the land where he offered namaz is quite far from the temple.
After learning about the incident, members of the Muslim community accompanied Shahid to the local police station and filed a complaint.
They claimed that one of the accused was a convicted murderer and is currently out on parole.
Temple manager Arvind Sharma said that any activities associated with other religions will not be tolerated on the temple land, even if a case is filed against him.
The police reached the spot and appealed to both communities to maintain peace.
Shahid was sent for a medical examination and a legal action will be taken based on the complaint, the police said.
Municipal Councillor Parvez Qureshi termed the incident unacceptable.
"This matter is extremely serious. Assaulting a person is unacceptable. If anyone had any objection, the administration should have been informed. We demand an impartial investigation and strict action against the culprits to avoid such incidents in the future," he said.
Congress leader Sofia Naz termed the incident detrimental to social harmony.
"Maintaining law and order in the state is the responsibility of the state government. Violence and forced chanting of slogans in the name of religion are against the spirit of the Constitution. The administration should take immediate action and provide justice to the victim," Naz said.
