At Mumbai’s Bandra railway station on July 21, a Muslim youth found himself at the centre of a violent mob assault, raising questions about communal tensions and police responsiveness. The incident, allegedly involving a 16-year-old Hindu girl and the Muslim youth, had garnered an outcry and attention when a video of the assault surfaced on social media on 16th of August 2023.
The video shows a mob of individuals, chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram,’ brutally assaulting a youth dressed in a maroon shirt. The attackers accused him of being involved in a case of ‘love jihad,’ alleging that he had eloped with a minor Hindu girl. Despite the onslaught of punches and kicks, the girl, concealed in a black burqa, is observed to have attempted to shield the youth from the mob’s aggression.
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Location: Bandra, Mumbai, Maharashtra
Hindu far-right supporters brutally thrashed a Muslim youth for having an interfaith relationship. pic.twitter.com/iyEcrmPtIU
— HindutvaWatch (@HindutvaWatchIn) August 15, 2023
According to the Indian Express, the incident took place after the youth and the teenage girl reportedly fled their homes in Ambernath, Thane, seeking refuge in Mumbai. Their disappearance prompted the girl’s family to file a kidnapping case with the Ambernath police. Authorities discovered that the duo was planning to leave the city from the Bandra railway station.
On the fateful day, a mob arrived at the Bandra terminus, where with Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel was allegedly present at the departure platform of a Lucknow-bound train. As more individuals converged at the terminus, the situation escalated. The mob forcibly removed the Muslim youth and the girl from the station premises, claiming they were taking the pair to the Nirmal Nagar police station. As of now, Sabrang India has no news of whether there is any step by the RPF or any other authorities against the mob which assaulted the young boy and girl at the station.
Meanwhile, the Ambernath police intervened, taking the Muslim youth into custody under the suspicion of kidnapping. However, the youth since he stated he was a minor himself compelled the police to transfer him to a child correctional facility.
The incident has sparked outrage and discussions about religious intolerance, vigilante violence by Hindutva groups, and the need for immediate police intervention in cases of public assault. Prominent political leader Waris Pathan, from the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), shared the video on Twitter, questioning the lack of police action until the video’s viral spread.
I have been informed that this incident happened around 21/22nd July. At Bandra railway station which comes under Nirmal nagar p stn. But video was viral on social media today Then what was police doing till date,why no investigation or complaint registered by police who was… https://t.co/8nsvYcE0Iy
— Waris Pathan (@warispathan) August 15, 2023
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