An elderly Muslim man was brutally assaulted by fellow passengers on a moving train after a woman accused him of inappropriate conduct.
According to Maktoob, the victim, a madrasa imam from Gangapur City, Rajasthan, was reciting the Quran when he was accused of misconduct and subsequently beaten. He had traveled to Ankleshwar, Gujarat, to collect donations for his institution. The incident occurred on February 28 aboard the Gujarat Queen Express while he was en route from Ankleshwar to Ahmedabad.
A video of the attack, recently shared online, shows the man being repeatedly slapped and beaten while he pleads for mercy. Despite the serious nature of the allegations, railway authorities are yet to confirm its authenticity.
The video was first uploaded by Jitendra Pratap Singh, a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It quickly gained traction, evoking a discussion about the safety of Muslims in public spaces in India. Wasim Akram Tyagi, a journalist known for covering socio-religious issues, later retweeted the video, further amplifying concerns about rising mob violence and communal targeting of Muslim individuals in India.
This is not the first such incident. A few days back, another man was beaten up by fellow passengers for allegedly kissing a co-passenger while he was sleeping. Such incidents point to not just the issues of safety on trains but also the growing trend of summary public justice, where individuals take the law into their own hands instead of awaiting due process.
The incident also draws similarity to case from 2021 when Tasleem, a Muslim bangle seller from Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh was falsely accused of harassing women, leading to a violent mob attack on him. He was later arrested and charged with multiple offenses and had to spend 107 days in Jail. However, after a prolonged legal battle, the court acquitted him, citing lack of evidence.
Though railways are still one of the cheapest mode of transport in India, passengers are left wondering if they are safe after constant reports of harassment, robbery, and violence. Experts say that the authorities must deploy more security officials on trains and add more surveillance cameras to avoid such assaults.
