By Waquar Hasan
NEW DELHI – Five young men from the Muslim community were allegedly assaulted, robbed, and threatened with death by a large mob associated with Bajrang Dal at Dindigad Hill in the Bhiwandi Taluka police station limits in Maharashtra on Sunday.
The victims have been identified as Altamash Shaikh (23), Umar Shaikh (24), Husnain Pathan (23), Abdurrahman Khan (23), and Rehan Khan (23), all residents of Shanti Nagar in Bhiwandi.
According to initial reports, the five had gone for an outing from the foothills to the hill area. They were intercepted by a group of youths who questioned their presence there, which escalated into a verbal exchange. One individual then allegedly summoned others, and a larger mob gathered and attacked them.
The injured youths alleged that they were threatened with a knife, that an attempt was made to rob them, that their mobile phones were damaged, and that cash was taken from them when they resisted.
One of the injured youths stated that he suffered a fractured skull from the assault. He further alleged that mob members vowed not to spare them and threatened to kill them. “They brought a pack of chicken, forced us to hold it and say that we are taking this to a temple. Why would I take this uncooked chicken to a temple? We had just come to take a tour,” he said.
He also accused the mob of taking away his phone and bike while falsely claiming that they were taking chicken to a temple and committing theft.
Samajwadi Party Maharashtra president and MLA Abu Asim Azmi visited the injured and later went to the Bhiwandi Taluka police station.
Strongly condemning the incident, Azmi said: “The incident involving the youths at Dindigarh Pahadi, Shantinagar in Bhiwandi cannot be condemned enough. The way a mob attacked five youths who had come for an outing, targeting their religion, is extremely serious and condemnable. Such an incident creates an atmosphere of terror and the intention to spoil the atmosphere of Bhiwandi is clearly visible.”
This story was originally published in thehindustangazette.com. Read the full story here.