A mob of Hindutva goons harassed, beaten and looted an elderly Muslim man, Rashid due to his religious identity in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh on October 26. Around 10:00 PM, Rashid was returning from the Muskan Hospital after managing an ambulance for his elderly father to arrange further treatments. Amid chaos of traffic and pedestrians during night, his scooter accidentally collided with a two-wheeler, after which the accident took a communal color.
“My vehicle collided with a two-wheeler of a boy, I tried to sort-out the issue, but another man clasped me and then 10-20 goons came and trashed me brutally” Rashid said to the media.
“Dadhi wala hai, sa** ko jaan se maar do!” (He is a bearded man, kill him!), the goons were shouting, targeting Rashid for his Muslim identity.
In the viral video Rashid described how he was brutally beaten by the Hindu goons and was unable to remain in sense amid frequent attacks, between clamor and clatter. Rashid was numb as the goons attacked him with boots, batons and hateful communal slurs.
“I don’t know if my mobile phone fell somewhere or they snatched it. I don’t know if my money fell somewhere or they looted it!” Rashid gasped with severe injuries on his face while describing the crime incident, as he also lost 20,000 rupees in his pocket that he saved for the medical expenses of his father.
Rashid fled fast to save his life somehow and reached the nearby police station.
According to the obtained information, he has been identified as a resident of Jamal Nagar and the incident took place under the territory of Thana Delhi Gate.
Pursuit Of Justice
When the extremely wounded Rashid reached the police, the complaint was filed against those unidentified Hindu men.
Responding to the attack on elderly, a local leader requested SSP to take strict action against the culprits’ while the police department confirmed the records of the case. Just a few months back in June, 2024, a Muslim man, Farid was lynched to death in Aligarh. On the suspicion of theft, a mob of Hindu men thrashed and assassinated him. Talking to The Wire, Zaki, his brother, said that the “mob identified him as Muslim”.
