Gujarat: Mob brutally attacks two teenage Madrasa students on a busy road

Madrasa Image Courtesy:siasat.com

A minor vehicle related incident took a dangerously violent turn, when two teenagers, both students of an Islamic school or Madrasa, were brutally assaulted by a mob. The boys were seriously injured after the attack, allegedly by a Hindutva mob, in the Paldi area of Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

The attack took place on Sunday night but details emerged only on Monday. The victims have been identified as Umar (17) and Khizar (16). They were hospitalised due to severe injuries. Images circulating on social media showed the two teens heavily bandaged indicating the severity of their injuries. According to a report in Maktoobmedia, Umar may need to undergo two surgeries to repair the massive injuries on his hand. The two teenagers were reportedly abused, kicked and thrashed by the right-wing mob even as a large crowd watched.

Umar’s father Mufti Abdul Qayyum told the Maktoobmedia that the two boys were attacked merely because “they were wearing kurta pajama and a skullcap,” that identified them as Muslim. “They thrashed them so brutally. Umar is still unconscious and Khizar is unable to talk due to the trauma” said the father, adding that Umar’s hand was twisted while he was “repeatedly attacked on his head”. Khizar has severe injuries on both hands.

The teenagers were reportedly just returning home on their scooter, from their classes at a Madrasa, when they were attacked. Social activist Salim Hafezi told the media that the attack happened when they were on their way home in Paldi. He said, “On Vishwakunj Char road, a man named Bhavesh with his wife and daughter were on an Activa scooter. He took a turn without an indicator, due to which the scooter on which the two children were riding lost balance, and they fell. Bhavesh’s wife started beating both the children and created a ruckus due to which a crowd gathered at the site and seeing their Muslim identity, the mob started beating them so mercilessly that both the children got fractures on their wrists,” Hafezi was quoted by Maktoob as saying.

It was after the police arrived that the boys were rushed to hospital and based on the family’s complaint an FIR was registered under section 154 IPC 323, 294 B, 427 in Paldi police station. Police have assured the family that “CCTV camera footage will be checked, and arrests will be made on the basis of identity.”