Uttar Pradesh: Video of Muslim man being assaulted in Pilibhit goes viral, 15 booked

Pilibhit (UP), Sep 5 (PTI) A purported video showing assault of a Muslim man at a busy intersection here has gone viral, with police on Thursday launching an investigation and booking 15 people, including a Hindu outfit member, on charges of attempt to murder.

The incident took place on the night of September 1 at Banda Chowk under Puranpur police station limits, according to a complaint lodged by the mother of Changez Khan.

According to a police official, a few days prior to the incident, Khan was booked for allegedly molesting a local woman after barging into her house.

However, the official said the two incidents cannot be linked pending inquiry in the cases.

While Khan was at a local shop, he was allegedly attacked by Sanjay Mishra of the Bajrang Dal and his associates. The assailants thrashed Khan and also used a knife and a pistol to threaten him, his mother alleged.

The purported video clip, shot late in the evening in a dimly-lit public space having some food kiosks, showed a group of men thrashing Khan. His T-shirt was removed and he was dragged on the road as the men continued their assault, according to the video.

Khan's mother alleged that her son was rescued when a UP 112 police response vehicle reached the incident site. She said the attackers misbehaved even with the police, according to the FIR.

Puranpur police station in-charge Rajeev Kumar Sharma said, "The FIR in the case has been lodged and the investigation is ongoing. Further action will be taken once the inquiry is completed." The FIR has been lodged under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 191(2) and 191(3) - (both related to rioting), 190 (member of unlawful assembly), 109 (attempt to murder), and 351(3) (criminal intimidation), among others, police said.

Those booked have been identified as Anmol, Sanjay Mishra, Raju Rathore, Dheeraj, and Deepak, besides 10 "unidentified" people, police added.

Meanwhile, Sanjay Mishra, district president of the Bajrang Dal, claimed that the incident involved a confrontation with motorcycle riders who were "forcibly" taking a girl away on their vehicle.

"Two bike riders were forcibly taking a girl away on their vehicle. On hearing her screams, we reached the spot. Then the bike riders hit one of my friends and abused him using casteist words. They also hit him with the butt of a gun. The bike riders also misbehaved with police," he claimed. PTI