A Muslim labourer was assaulted by a mob in Bihar’s Madhubani district after being falsely accused of being a Bangladeshi, in what appears to be an attempted lynching.
The victim, Khurshid Alam, said he was attacked by around 50 people after he refused to chant religious slogans. Recounting the incident, Khurshid said the trouble began while he was working and briefly went to a nearby shop. “A man came to me and told me to chant Jai Shri Ram, Jai Sita Ram and Bharat Mata Ki Jai. I told him I can say Bharat Ki Jai,” he said.
According to Khurshid, the man left after the exchange but recorded a video of him and later made it viral. “After about an hour, he came back and threatened me. He said he would take me away if I did not chant the slogans,” Khurshid alleged.
The situation escalated when a few people allegedly identified him, called him a Bangladeshi and began beating him. “I went to work during the day when two or three people saw me and started beating me. They hit me from behind and accused me of being Bangladeshi,” he said.
Khurshid alleged that the mob forced him to walk through the village while assaulting him continuously for nearly two to three kilometres. “They made me walk and kept beating me. There is a Kali Mandir on the way. They said they would sacrifice me there,” he said.
He further claimed that the attackers openly threatened his life. “They were saying, ‘Hum tumko kaat denge,’” Khurshid said, describing the terror he experienced during the assault.
