By Muslim Mirror Staff
A 40-year-old Muslim auto-rickshaw driver, Mahmud Alam, was assaulted, verbally abused, and coerced into chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ by a mob of around 20 individuals with alleged Hindutva affiliations. The incident occurred in the capital city of Ranchi on Tuesday.
Alam, in his formal complaint filed at the Lalpur police station, described the terrifying ordeal, stating, “When I was taking passengers, a group of 15-20 people assaulted me and broke my mobile. They also robbed Rs 1500 which I had. I escaped to protect my life. Else, they would have killed me.”
Alam said that the assailants accosted him while he was transporting passengers. One of them forcibly occupied his vehicle while others demanded money. As he began to comply with their demands, the situation escalated rapidly, leading to a violent assault. Despite his attempt to flee, he was apprehended and subjected to severe physical abuse.
“They plucked my beard. They were hitting me with whatever they could find. One person struck me with a bat, while another used a pipe. I sustained a deep injury to my head,” explained Alam, who has been working as an auto-rickshaw driver for 15 years but had never experienced such a traumatic attack before.
Dr. Tariq Hussain, secretary of Anjuman Islamia, Ranchi, expressed concern upon learning about the assault on Mahmud Alam. After visiting Alam’s residence, he said, “He was brutally assaulted with multiple injuries to his head and other parts of his body. Blood also oozed out from his mouth.” Dr. Hussain highlighted an issue with the medical report from Sadar Hospital, stating that it merely described the injuries as “reddish” without providing adequate details. He urged for a more comprehensive and accurate report to ensure justice for the victim.
Calling for justice, Dr. Hussain said, “The culprits should be punished so that such incidents should not be repeated.”
State leaders of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) also visited Mahmud Alam and demanded swift action against the perpetrators. They urged “secular leaders” to take notice of the incident.
Samir Ali, the state secretary of AIMIM, condemned the incident and attributed such occurrences to the promotion of certain elements by a particular political party. He said, “Such incidents continue unabated because a particular party promotes such elements by garlanding them and using other methods when they come out of jail. A ban should be imposed on such groups.” Ali pointed out that in 2018, former Union Minister and BJP leader Jayant Sinha had greeted and garlanded eight cow vigilantes who were convicted in the Ramgarh lynching case and were subsequently released on bail.
