By Maktoob
Theatre artist Subhankar Dassharma has alleged that he was assaulted near Shyamnagar railway station in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, around 35 km from Kolkata, after a group of men targeted him because they believed he was Muslim based on his black kurta and pyjamas.
In a post on Facebook, Dassharma said the incident took place around midnight on July 28, while he was returning home after a theatre performance.
According to him, four men stopped him and questioned his religious identity after noticing his black kurta and pajamas.
He said they asked whether he was a Muslim, to which he responded, “What if I am a Muslim?” arguing that in a free and sovereign country, he was under no obligation to disclose his religion to strangers.
Dassharma alleged that the men then began dragging and assaulting him while repeatedly demanding to know whether he was Muslim. Refusing to back down, he said he told them that he was a Muslim.
He alleged that the attackers then beat him mercilessly, repeatedly striking his eyes, head, ears and chest, knocking him to the ground while chanting “Jai Shri Ram.”
He further claimed that the men tore his black kurta during the assault and that he briefly lost consciousness.
After regaining consciousness, Dassharma said he somehow managed to return home but spent the next three to four days suffering from severe physical pain and psychological trauma.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.