By Nadeem Inamdar,
Fourteen people from the Muslim community were allegedly attacked by a mob of nearly 200 near Bhiwari ahead of Bopdeo Ghat on Friday evening, police said.
Superintendent of Police (SP) of Pune (Rural) Sandeep Singh said that a case was registered against unidentified people and an investigation is underway. “An FIR was lodged at the Saswad police station,” he said.
According to those present, 14 of them had gathered to break their Ramzan fast when they were allegedly attacked by a mob linked to right-wing groups.
“The youths had assembled at an open spot near a pond in the area to have an iftar meal when a large group of men approached them and questioned their presence. The attackers allegedly asked what they were doing at the location and whether the land belonged to them. Before the youths could respond, the mob allegedly surrounded them and assaulted them with sticks and iron rods,” one of the victims said.
“After coming to the Bopdeo Ghat dam area, we learnt that in the village any display of Muslim identity was not allowed. There were 14 of us, and we were surrounded by nearly 200 men. They removed our caps and assaulted us. The police did not act on our complaint for nearly five hours. It was a public place which belongs to all citizens,” Abrar Khan, another victim, said.
This story was originally published in hindustantimes.com. Read the full story here.