Three held for assaulting Kanpur Muslim man released on bail

Three persons accused of assaulting a Muslim man and forcing him to chant Jai Shri Ram, were released on bail less than a day after they were arrested, Kanpur police said on Friday.

Soon after the arrest of Ajay, Rahul Kumar and Aman Gupta, a mob of Bajrang Dal members had staged a protest on Thursday night outside the local police station and demanded their release.

The three were reportedly released from the police station itself, but more clarity on this was awaited from Kanpur police.

Earlier on Friday, Asim Arun, Commissioner of Police, Kanpur, said the three main accused were arrested after an investigation. Police had been deployed in the area where the incident took place, amid fears of a communal flare-up. He said the situation was under control.

Efforts were on to arrest the remaining accused, he said. “We will take every legal step to punish these people,” said the officer.

Afsar Ahmad, an e-rickshaw driver, was paraded through a street, assaulted and allegedly forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ by a group of men, some of whom wore saffron scarves, on August 11. An FIR was lodged at Barra police station against five named persons and 8-10 unidentified persons for rioting, criminal intimidation and voluntarily causing hurt.

A video of the incident was widely shared on social media. Ahmad was seen being heckled and assaulted by the group. His young daughter is seen clinging to him as she pleads with the assailants to spare him. He is eventually seen being taken into a police vehicle.

In his police complaint, Mr. Ahmad said he was driving his e-rickshaw around 3 pm on August 11 when the accused persons stopped him, beat him up and threatened to kill him and his family. He said the provocation was an old dispute with people living in the same locality near Ramgopal Chauraha.

Quresha, his relative, said the dispute started after the vehicle belonging to one of her sons accidentally brushed against the vehicle of a youth in the neighbourhood in July.

In a statement, DCP, Kanpur South, Raveena Tyagi said Quresha Begum had lodged an FIR against Ramesh and his wife Rani Gautam on July 12 on charges of assault.

Ms. Rani then got an FIR lodged against Saddam, Salman and Mukul under IPC section 354 (whoever assaults or uses criminal force on any woman, intending to outrage or knowing it to be likely that he will thereby outrage her modesty), police said.

Mr. Ahmad is said to be a relative of the Muslim family involved in the dispute.

As the investigation in both the cases was going on, Ms. Rani alleged that the accused were forcing her to convert. That allegation was also being probed, police said. On August 11, some people gathered at Ramgopal Chauraha to hold a demonstration demanding action on this FIR.

It was near the site of the protest that Mr. Ahmad was assaulted, police said.