An imam of a mosque in Lakhanpur village, Aligarh district, is reportedly injured after an attack that victim’s kin say was motivated by his religious identity and refusal to chant “Jai Shri Ram.”
The alleged assault, which his family say took place at about 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 20, sparked local protests and prompted an immediate police inquiry.
Multiple posts on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and other social platforms identify the imam as Mustaqim and say 10–12 men attacked him, pulled his beard and skullcap, and forced him to chant the slogan.
Videos and images circulating online show an injured man being assisted by neighbours and crowds gathering at the scene; several users allege the imam was beaten “mercilessly” and forced to repeat the slogan. These accounts are being widely shared across local networks.
According to the victim, he was taunted with slurs such as “Kathmulla” and “Pakistani” and forcibly made to chant the “Jai Shri Ram” slogan. He said the harassment had been ongoing for several weeks.
Local police, however, describe the incident as an injury sustained in a “clash” and deny a communal motive.
A PTI dispatch reporting from Aligarh says the imam is admitted to hospital after being injured in a clash and that police are investigating. The report adds that officers deny allegations that the attack was targeted on religious grounds.
The Aligarh mosque imam attack comes amid a spate of similar incidents in Uttar Pradesh in recent years in which Muslim clerics are allegedly assaulted and sometimes forced to chant religious slogans.
Read More Here: Imam Forced into Chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ at Gunpoint in Uttar Pradesh
