During the Anant Chaturdashi tableau procession in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh, a Muslim teenager named Sameer, aged 17, was assaulted by a group of individuals affiliated with a Hindutva mob. The attack took place when Sameer’s assailants inquired about his name, setting off a violent confrontation that left him injured and traumatized.
According to Sameer, the ordeal began when he and his brother-in-law, Aman, were riding their motorcycle along Kalika Mata Road during the night. As they approached Kanika Mata Complex at approximately 10:10 PM, they politely requested the oncoming crowd to make way and allow them to pass. To their astonishment, a few unidentified individuals responded with offensive language directed at Sameer, his mother, and his sister.
This verbal altercation quickly escalated into a physical assault, during which Sameer suffered injuries to his left elbow, the upper part of his left leg, and his head. Aman, fearing for his safety, abandoned the motorcycle and fled the scene, leaving Sameer to face the attackers alone. As Sameer cried out for help, other individuals, apparently older, joined in the assault. It was only when Sameer promised to yield the right of way that the violence finally subsided.
Following the incident, Sameer reported the assault to the local police station, narrating the ordeal in a formal statement.
The police have registered a case under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 294 (Obscene acts or words in public), 232 (Causing hurt), 506 (Criminal intimidation), and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).
