In yet another case of mob violence, a Muslim youth was dragged by his hair, beaten up, stomped on his neck, and his legs were tied up to make him “confess” to theft.
The incident took place on Tuesday afternoon at the bus station and a video of the incident later went viral on social media.
Bareilly Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rohit Singh Sajwan has ordered an FIR.
“We have taken suo motu cognizance and filed a complaint under sections 147 (rioting), 149 (offence committed by any member of an unlawful assembly, 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 342 (wrongful confinement) of the IPC against unidentified persons. Those who assaulted Sahil will be identified through videos and photographs,” he said.
According to reports, a passenger, Devendra Kumar, found that his phone was missing from his pocket while another man claimed that his wallet had been stolen.
The bystanders began questioning those who were standing nearby and Mohd Sahil, a 20-year-old labourer, fumbled when he was questioned.
The mob immediately pounced on him and started assaulting him.
He was assaulted for nearly 30 minutes before police arrived. None of the stolen items were recovered from him.
Sahil was taken to the hospital and later put in lock-up.
On the basis of Devendra Kumar’s complaint, an FIR was registered against an “unidentified” person.
Kotwali SHO Pankaj Pant said, “We found Sahil was involved in the crime but no phone or wallet was found on Sahil. “We found a phone from a person called Sabir, his friend. He has also been arrested.”
This is the fourth such case in Bareilly since 2019.
In August 2019, a mentally ill Muslim man slipped into a coma after he was assaulted by a mob on suspicion of cattle theft. He died in hospital.
In September last year, an inebriated Muslim man was ‘mistaken for a thief’, tied to a tree, and beaten up by a mob. He, too, died during treatment.
In February this year, a Muslim taxi driver, 31, was accused of cattle theft and lynched. He died of head injuries.