A Muslim travel agent from Bihar’s Bhagalpur district has alleged that he was assaulted by a group of unidentified men inside a train compartment near Mughalsarai in Uttar Pradesh on June 26, in an attack he says was motivated by his religious identity. Police have not publicly responded to the allegations.
According to Mohammad Mazhar Hussain, he had travelled to Uttar Pradesh on June 24 to visit the Kachaucha Sharif shrine in Ambedkar Nagar district and was returning home on the Varanasi-Asansol MEMU Express, travelling in a general-class compartment.
Hussain alleged that at around 4:15 am on June 26, while he was washing his face near a wash basin inside the coach, four to five young men entered the compartment shouting religious slogans and began attacking him without any prior argument or dispute. He said he attempted to defend himself but was overwhelmed by the group.
Hussain alleged that one of the attackers struck him on the head with a heavy object, possibly a stone, causing him to bleed heavily and lose consciousness inside the train.
He said only a small number of passengers were present in the compartment at the time, which he believes made it difficult for anyone to intervene.
According to Hussain, he regained consciousness in a government hospital, having been transported there by railway personnel and Government Railway Police (GRP) officials after being found unconscious and injured. He said police later recorded his statement and informed his family of the incident.
Hussain, who runs a travel agency in Bhagalpur arranging Haj and Umrah pilgrimage bookings, said he believes he was targeted specifically because of his beard and skullcap. “There was no quarrel, no argument and no dispute with anyone,” he said, adding that the lack of any prior interaction with his attackers was what he found most disturbing about the incident.
Hussain further alleged that police investigating the case appeared reluctant to pursue it seriously, and that no arrests had been made or suspects identified at the time he spoke publicly about the incident. Police have not responded to this specific allegation.
No Independent Confirmation Yet
As of the time of reporting, no railway authority or police department had issued a statement confirming the sequence of events, the religious motivation alleged by Hussain, or the status of any investigation. The account presented here reflects Hussain’s version of events as relayed to media; the broader circumstances of the assault — including the identity and motive of the attackers — remain under investigation and have not been independently established.
The allegation follows a separate case that drew national attention earlier this year. Maulana Tausif Raza, a madrasa teacher from Bihar’s Kishanganj district, was found dead near railway tracks in Bareilly after boarding a train on April 26 following a religious gathering. One suspect, identified as Pankaj Rajput, was subsequently arrested in that case, while other suspects remained at large.
