An elderly Muslim man was allegedly assaulted and robbed in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district, with the victim claiming that the attacker pulled his beard, removed his cap, and abused him with communal slurs.
The incident reportedly took place on May 2 in the Derwa area of Pratapgarh when Maqsood Ali, a hawker by profession, was returning home around 4 pm.
According to the victim, a man identified as Manoj stopped him on the way in a nearby village and began verbally abusing and attacking him without any provocation.
“He abused me, said, ‘What are you doing here?’ pulled my beard and beat me and told me, ‘Go to Pakistan,’” Ali alleged.
Assaulted With Sticks and Rods
The victim claimed that the accused assaulted him using sticks and rods, causing serious injuries.
“He told me to go away, or he would break my face,” Ali said while recounting the attack.
According to Ali, the attacker also removed his skullcap during the assault and targeted him with communal remarks.
The elderly man said he was eventually able to escape after another person arrived at the scene.
“When another person came there, I somehow managed to save my life and ran from there to reach home,” he said.
Victim Alleges ₹10,000 Was Snatched
Ali also alleged that around ₹10,000 he was carrying with him was looted during the attack.
The money, according to him, was part of his earnings from hawking work.
“About ₹10,000 was also taken from me,” he alleged.
“I Am Poor, What Should I Do?” Says Victim
The victim said he later approached the police and lodged a complaint, but claimed that no action had been taken so far.
“I’m poor. What shall I do? Shall I earn or look after these things?” Ali said, expressing frustration over the alleged lack of police response.
