Rudrapur: Police said that an elderly Muslim man was allegedly attacked by a group of people and coerced into chanting religious slogans after he offered namaz on a vacant plot of land in front of a temple. A video of the incident had been circulating widely on social media.
According to the police, the footage purportedly showed the accused beating the man with sticks and verbally abusing him during the assault.
The man, Shahid, a resident of the Resham Bari area, offered namaz during the ongoing month of Ramzan near the Atriya Temple in Jagatpura, the police said on Tuesday.
Shahid said he had been working near the temple for several days and clarified that the land where he offered namaz is quite far from the temple.
After learning about the incident, members of the Muslim community accompanied Shahid to the local police station and filed a complaint.
They claimed that one of the accused was a murder convict who is currently out on parole, PTI reported.
Temple manager Arvind Sharma said activities associated with any other religion will not be tolerated on the temple land, even if a case is filed against him.
The police reached the spot and appealed to both communities to maintain peace.
Shahid was sent for a medical examination and a legal action would be taken based on the complaint, the police said.
Municipal Councillor Parvez Qureshi termed the incident unacceptable.
"This matter is extremely serious. Assaulting a person is unacceptable. If anyone had any objection, the administration should have been informed. We demand an impartial investigation and strict action against the culprits to avoid a repeat of such incidents in the future," he said.
Congress leader Sofia Naz termed the incident detrimental to social harmony.
"Maintaining law and order in the state is the responsibility of the state government. Violence and forced chanting of slogans in the name of religion are against the spirit of the Constitution. The administration should take immediate action and provide justice to the victim," Naz said.