The man with one eye almost swollen shut looks visibly ‘Muslim’. His white beard and shaved upper lip is a dead giveaway, he is Rajasthani, and speaks in the local dialect. However, at the moment he can barely speak due to horrific injuries on his face, head and torso. His injuries are a result of the brutal beating by right-wing goons, who are once again on the prowl this week.
The victim was identified as Gaffar, a 52-year-old autorickshaw driver from Sikar, Rajasthan. He recounted the ordeal he survived on Friday morning to India Tomorrow saying, “I had taken the taxi out at 4 A.M to take some passengers to the station. I dropped them and was on my way back with more passengers, two gents and one lady, when someone hailed me down on the road. I saw him waving me down and stopped. Then another man came and told me to chant ‘Modi zindabad’, and he slapped me. Then he said ‘say Jai Shri Ram’. I sped off, they chased me and overtook me near a grain godown.”
He says the attackers blocked his way, two men got out quickly and started thrashing the old taxi driver mercilessly, so hard that he fainted after a few blows. “I fainted, and they ripped my beard out,” he says and turns his head, a tuft of beard is missing on one side of his face. “They hit me on my head, and kicked and punched me in the waist. They beat me senseless,” he says, tears all dried up by the time the media got to meet him, but the shock was still visible on his badly bruised and swollen face.
He was not able to identify the assailants to the media. “They were fast, and came in a four wheeler. After I regained consciousness I lodged a complaint. I do not know how many more were in their vehicle,” he says confirming that he was attacked by two men.
Videos of the man, after he got first aid have been shared multiple times on social media. The cries of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ have often been used by right-wing groups to heckle and threaten members of the minority communities especially Muslims. Though the Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself chanted the traditional ‘Jai Siya Ram’, at the Ayodhya temple ceremony, the right wing affiliated mobs have ignored the message, and added ‘Modi Zindabad’ to their repertoire of chants.
This happened in Sikar, Rajasthan.
A Muslim Taxi Driver Gaffar was brutally beaten up by 2 people when he carrying passengers.
They forced him to chant Modi Zindabad (Long live Modi), Jai Sri Ram and asked him to “Go To Pakistan”.
They pulled his beard and beaten him up.
1/2 pic.twitter.com/YDQ6kFcZMD
— Md Asif Khan (@imMAK02) August 7, 2020
According to some media reports the local police have registered an FIR and so far two accused have been arrested. India Today reported that Sadar police station Pushpendra Singh identified the two arrested accused as Shambhu and Rajendra.
Another news report quoted one Shahid, a nephew of Gaffar saying, “My uncle has been beaten very badly. He has suffered serious injuries.” Allegedly the criminals also told victim Ghafar that they will kill him and “send him to Pakistan.”
A case has been registered against 8 accused under sections 323, 341, 295A, 504, 506, 327, 382, 34 of the IPC against the accused in the Sadar police station of Sikar. The car used by the criminals has also been seized.
News portal India Tomorrow quotes State President of Jama’at Islami Hind, Rajasthan, Mohammad Nazimuddin who said, “Such incidents are increasing disharmony in the society. These incidents will increase bitterness in the society.”
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