Tasleem Ali says he was attacked, implicated in case because of his religion

Tasleem Ali, a bangle seller in Madhya Pradesh, who was recently acquitted by a district court in a case of harassing a minor girl—an accusation that led to him spending 107 days in jail in 2021—says he was implicated and beaten because of his religion. The acquittal came following key witnesses, including the complainant, turning hostile, The Indian Express reported.

Ali, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, was attacked by a group of men on August 22, 2021, while selling bangles in Indore during the festival of Rakhi. Videos of the incident, which later went viral, showed Ali being assaulted and subjected to communal slurs. The men accused him of harassing women and warned him not to enter Hindu-dominated areas again.

Following the attack, Ali lodged a complaint at the Banganga police station, alleging that the assailants had physically assaulted him, looted his belongings, and hurled communal abuses. However, in a subsequent twist, Ali himself was arrested under charges stemming from a complaint filed by a 13-year-old girl, including sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

During the court proceedings, the primary allegations against Ali collapsed due to a lack of evidence. His lawyer argued that a key claim regarding his alleged use of a false identity, based on an Aadhaar card showing the name "Golu," was disproven. It was clarified that "Golu" referred to his village name, and the discrepancy on the Aadhaar card had been rectified later. Statements from local village leaders further supported this explanation.

Despite his ordeal, Ali resumed his work as a bangle seller, continuing to travel between Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Indore to sustain his family of six. He expressed a desire to leave the incident behind and maintain peace. Although the assailants were arrested following his complaint, he has indicated no intention of pursuing further legal action against them.