By Team Clarion
HYDERABAD – A mentally deranged Muslim youth was beaten by villagers after being seen inside the Ayyappa Swamy Temple in the Hyderabad suburb of Medchal on Wednesday, amid claims on social media that he had entered the premises to offer namaz.
Police later confirmed that the man, who kept repeating the words “Zubair” and “Bihar”, was suffering from mental illness. After a medical examination, a local court directed that he be admitted to the Erragadda Mental Health Hospital for treatment.
The incident occurred in Pratap Singaram village, within the Medipally police limits.
A video of the incident has gone viral on social media. In the footage, the youth, wearing a red shirt, is seen lying injured and exhausted on the ground inside the temple premises. Several villagers stand around him.
When local people question him in the video, he is unable to respond properly and repeats only a few words. At one point, a villager is heard saying, “Why are you beating him? We should hand him over to the police. The police will take care of him.”
Soon after receiving information, Medipally police reached the spot and took the youth into custody.
Police registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including provisions related to hurting religious sentiments, unlawful entry and promoting enmity between groups.
Speaking to reporters, the Medipally Assistant Commissioner of Police said, “The Muslim youth is not able to communicate properly. During questioning, he kept repeating only two words — ‘Zubair’ and ‘Bihar’.”
The officer added that, according to preliminary information, the youth had come to the area for daily routine activities. “Local people saw him moving suspiciously near the small Anjaneya temple inside the main Ayyappa Swamy temple complex. We immediately took him into custody,” he said.
This story was originally published in clarionindia.net. Read the full story here.