Ghaziabad: A day after a video of 72-year-old Abdul Samad Saifi being thrashed and his beard being chopped off went viral, the Ghaziabad police claimed that it was a case of “personal enmity”, saying some people were angry with him because he had given a ‘taweez (amulet)’ to one of the accused for “good fortune” but a mishap occurred in the family, instead.
In a related video that also shared widely, the man was seen complaining that he was also forced to chant “Jai Siya Ram”. The police, however, said this did not happen, and that Saifi’s formal complaint filed on 7 June did not mention this charge.
According to the police, Saifi had given a ‘taweez (amulet)’ to one of the accused claiming it would bring him good fortune, but a miscarriage in the family irked the man and he then ganged up with the others and beat up Saifi.
Three persons, including a Muslim youth Adil, have been arrested in connection with the assault, even as Adil’s family said he was at the spot “only to save Saifi”.
The police said a hunt is on for the other accused. Of the total “7-8 boys” who tortured Saifi, “3-4 are Hindus, rest Muslims”, Ghaziabad Superintendent of Police (Rural) Iraj Raja said.
While the incident is said to have occurred earlier this month, and even a case was registered on 7 June, the matter became a topic of discussion on social media Monday after a mute video of the 72-year-old being beaten up ruthlessly at gunpoint by a group of men and his beard being chopped off surfaced on the internet.
In a separate clip, Saifi can be seen alleging that he was abducted and taken to Hajipur Bheta in UP’s Ghaziabad district from Bulandshahr. His videos and the photos of his wounds evoked massive response across social media.
In a video uploaded by Samajwadi Party member Ummed Pehalwan Idrisi, Saifi said on 7 June: “Bahut maara mujhe, Jai Siya Ram ke naare lagaon bola, maine Allah bola toh aur laat gushe maare… (They thrashed me, asked me to chant Jai Siya Ram and when I took Allah’s name, they kicked and punched me more…).”
He also said the men “mercilessly beat me for four hours”.
However, contrary to Saifi’s allegations in the video and also in his formal complaint, the police refuted claims that he was targeted because of his religion.
Ghaziabad Superintendent of Police (Rural) Iraj Raja said: “There wasn’t any instance of chanting Jai Shri Ram, it is completely incorrect. He didn’t even mention it while filing the complaint.” The FIR in the case was lodged on the basis of Saifi’s complaint filed on 7 June.
A copy of the FIR was accessed by ThePrint, and it doesn’t mention the charge that he was asked to chant “Jai Shri Ram“.
The three persons have been arrested under sections 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the IPC.
While Kallu Gujjar and Adil were arrested Monday, prime accused Parvesh Gujjar had already been in custody in connection with an extortion case since Saturday. “There were a total of 7-8 boys who beat up Saifi, 3-4 of them are Hindus, rest Muslims,” SP Raja said.
Meanwhile, the National Minority Commission has taken note of the incident and asked for a report from the police in seven days.
It is pertinent to mention here that in 2019 total of 49 celebrities have signed the letter expressing regret that ‘Jai Shree Ram’ has become a war cry today.
Talking about the number of lynching cases witnessed in the country, the celebrities have said, “The lynching of Muslims, Dalits and other minorities must be stopped immediately. We were shocked to learn from the NCRB that there have been no less than 840 instances of atrocities against Dalits in the year 2016, and a definite decline in the percentage of convictions.”
The letter also includes Binayak Sen, Soumitro Chatterjee, Revathy, Shyam Benegal, Shubha Mudgal, Rupam Islam, Anupam Roy, Parambrata, Riddhi Sen to name a few.
The letter dated July 23, writes, “You have criticised such lynchings in Parliament Mr. Prime Minister, but that is not enough! What action has actually been taken against the perpetrators?”
“Regrettably “Jai Shri Ram” has become a provocative “war cry” today that leads to law and order problems, and many lynchings take place in its name,” it added. The Print
