Screengrab from video.
Ratlam/Madhya Pradesh: A Hindu man assaulted three minor Muslims and forced them to say “Jai Shri Ram” in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam. The children of, ages 7, 10 and 12 are in trauma and not able to talk about the incident, Maktoob Media reported.
The assaulted children are residents of the Ashok Nagar Sabzi Pharosh area here. A video of the gruesome incident appeared on social media, giving rise to widespread dissent and condemnation.
The video shows a man repeatedly slapping the three children with a slipper and forcing them to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’. He continued his inhuman act even after the children complied with his demands. The man started by scolding the children for saying “Allah”, and he slapped one of them on the face. He continued his act even after they chanted what he demanded and kept laughing. Another person filmed the act.
After the video went viral, locals staged a protest and demanded an immediate arrest of the accused. Giving into the protests and local Muslims gheraoing the DT Nagar police station here on Wednesday night, a zero FIR was filed at Manak Chowk police station.
Police, however, said that the viral video was more than one month old and a cyber team is working on it. They are looking for the accused, and an FIR has been filed against the unknown for abuse, issuing death threats and hurting religious sentiments, Maktoob Media reported. The FIR was registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), including 296, 115(2), 126(2), 351(2), 196, and 3(5).
A local Muslim activist said that the incident was inhuman and youths who are addicted and misled about their religion assaulted the children. The children were assaulted for their religious identity, and that was wrong, he said. He also demanded the government bring laws against those who target children for their religious identity.