Patna, September 10, 2022 (PPI-OT):Following the anti-Muslim violence in Barhariya city in Siwan district of the Indian state of Bihar on Thursday, police arrested about a dozen Muslim men from a local mosque, including an 8-year-old boy.

The police arrested 70-years-old Mohammad Yasin and his eight-year-old grandson, Rizwan Qureshi, while their family maintains that both are innocent. Yasin had recently undergone two surgeries and have other health issues. As per their family, they were booked for incitement of violence and kept in custody.

Rizwan’s brother Azhar talking to web portal Maktoob said, “My younger brother was kept in a private ward and my family was initially not allowed to meet him. When my mother saw him he was handcuffed and scared. He was so terrified that he was unable to recognise his own mother. The child was just crying to go back home.”

They were produced in court allegedly with a rope tied around their waist. Rizwan’s family has presented the child’s birth certificate but the police officials have been demanding money for his release.

Violence broke out in Muslim-dominated streets of Barhariya during a Hindutva rally. Hindu mob was caught on camera chanting Islamophobic slogans and playing obscene songs while entering the Muslim locality. Men were armed with swords and sticks. The provocation led to confrontation between the two groups. Later, Muslim houses were targets of stone pelting and vandalism.

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