Madrassa students beaten up for refusing to chant 'Jai Shri Ram'

A group of young students at a madrassa in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh were brutally beaten up after they refused to chant 'Jai Shri Ram', according to reports. The imam of the Jama Masjid in Sadar area of the district alleged that a group of Bajrang Dal activists were involved in the incident.

Three students sustained injuries to their heads and arms.

The incident took place on July 11 when the students were playing in a ground after their afternoon prayers. A group of four men arrived at the ground and began an altercation with the students over playing cricket. They allegedly started beating up the children and even forced them to chant 'Jai Shri Ram'.

The victims, who are all minors, had their clothes torn off and their bicycles were vandalised by the group, said an IANS report.

According to the news agency, the police have registered a case in connection with the incident and have also identified three accused by tracing their Facebook accounts.

Meanwhile, the Hindi Yuva Vahini workers staged a protest outside the police station demanding release of the arrested youth.

“They are not involved in this case. This was a small incident which has been turned into a huge communal issue now. We have demanded the police to leave all the Hindu suspects by 4 pm today,” a protester told ANI.

The Madarasa authorities have demanded stringent action against the culprits and have threatened to protest if the police fail to act.

Earlier too, similar incidents had been reported from the state. On July 4, Mohammad Aatib, an auto driver, was locked up in a washroom and attacked with stones by a group of men for refusing to chant 'Jai Shri Ram'. In another case, a Muslim youth, identified as Taj Mohammad, was allegedly thrashed in Kanpur for refusing to chant 'Jai Shri Ram'.