Bihar Muslim man assaulted on UP train because of religious identity
A Muslim travel agent from Bihar’s Bhagalpur district has said he was assaulted inside a train compartment near Mughalsarai, Uttar Pradesh, in an attack he says was motivated by his religious identity. Mohammad Mazhar Hussain said four to five young men entered the general-class compartment of the Varanasi-Asansol MEMU Express around 4:15 am shouting religious slogans and attacked him without any prior dispute.
Hussain said one attacker struck him on the head with a heavy object, possibly a stone, causing heavy bleeding and loss of consciousness. Hussain, who runs a Haj and Umrah travel agency, said he believes he was targeted specifically because of his beard and skullcap. “There was no quarrel, no argument and no dispute with anyone,” he said.
He regained consciousness in a hospital after railway personnel and Government Railway Police transported him there. Hussain further said that police appeared reluctant to pursue the case seriously and no arrests had been made when he spoke publicly. As of reporting, no railway authority or police department had issued a public statement regarding the incident.
Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)
