Aligarh: The imam of a mosque in a village near Aligarh was brutally attacked for not chanting “Jai Shri Ram, Siasat reported.
The attackers, who are of Hindutva background, targeted the Imam for his beard and skull cap. The Imam was on his bicycle, and he happened to get involved in a scuffle with some kids and a man. Though the police claimed that there was no religious angle, the Imam said that for the past few days some boys were bothering him and he was attacked for not chanting “Jai Shree Ram”.
Local Muslim leaders informed that on Friday evening, Qari Mustaqeem, imam of Lakhanpura mosque under the Lodha police station limits, was accosted and assaulted by the same group on the outskirts of Aligarh.They alleged the attackers told the imam to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram,’ and he was assaulted when he refused.
However, police have denied any communal angle to the incident. “It was a clash between two groups on the roadside triggered by a road rage,” said Additional SP (City) M Shekhar Pathak.
He added, “Two persons were injured in the scuffle. Both sides lodged complaints, and a probe is underway. Allegations that the imam was forced to raise slogans are not true. The situation in the area is peaceful.”
Meanwhile, Mufti Mehmoodul Hasan Qasmi of Aligarh Jama Masjid and Syed Abdullah, district president of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, have demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible for the assault on the imam. They alleged that attempts were being made to disturb communal harmony in the area.
With PTI inputs