‘Jai Shri Ram’ echoed with every blow over his Muslim identity, says Hindu theatre artist Dassharma

The men chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’ as they rained blows on his eyes, head, ears and chest, while theatre artist Subhankar Dassharma shared his nightmare of being pursued and confronted by a group of men who allegedly launched a brutal attack on him after he answered their question in the affirmative about whether he was a Muslim near Shyamnagar railway station in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district.

In a detailed account shared on Facebook, Dassharma said the incident took place shortly after midnight on July 28, as he was returning home following a theatre performance, when four men stopped him after noticing his black kurta and pyjamas and began questioning him about his faith.

Dassharma, who refused to yield to the men’s question about whether he was a Muslim, responded, “What if I am a Muslim?” asserting that, in a free and sovereign country, he was not obliged to disclose his religion to strangers.

Following his response, the men dragged him and repeatedly demanded that he reveal his religious identity; when he affirmed that he was Muslim, the intensity of the assault grew more severe, with the assailants striking him repeatedly while shouting “Jai Shri Ram”, he said.

Dassharma alleged that the blows landed on his eyes, head, ears and chest, leaving him on the ground and briefly unconscious. He further claimed that his black kurta was torn during the attack.

A photograph shared by Dassharma appeared to show his left eye swollen shut, with visible bruising and swelling across the left side of his face. He said that, after recovering consciousness, he somehow managed to return home, but spent the following days battling intense pain and psychological distress.

Initially, he sought medical advice over the telephone and relied on pain medication. However, when his condition failed to improve, he visited the emergency department of B.N. Bose Sub-Divisional Hospital on August 2.

He said doctors identified serious injuries to his eye, ear and ribs and referred him to specialists. He later underwent treatment in the ophthalmology, orthopaedics and ENT departments, where he was reportedly diagnosed with an eye injury and a perforated eardrum.

Dassharma said fear had kept him from speaking publicly in the immediate aftermath. As someone who continues to live in the area, he said he initially hoped the matter could be resolved locally and requested friends not to publicise the incident.

He said he finally chose to speak out after seeing abusive comments directed at his sister on social media. “I have overcome my fear. Once fear is gone, it no longer has any hold over you,” he wrote.