New Delhi, July 08, 2023 (PPI-OT):Two Muslims were brutally assaulted with sticks and rods after being stripped and tied to a tree by a mob of cow vigilantes including members of Bajrang Dal in Solapur district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Videos making rounds on social media show 39-year-old Guddu Lal Mashakshe and his guest, Siraj Patel, being brutally beaten up. The somewhat blurred videos show a mob surrounding the victims, pushing them around, hitting and tying them to a tree. The attackers were mostly Bajrang Dal members and leaders. Mashakshe is critical and admitted to the hospital, reports said.

A bed-ridden Mashakshe said a mob of 40-50 people including Bajrang Dal hooligans attacked him. “On the day of Eidul Azha, they attacked to kill me. I was brutally beaten up in the head with a wooden stick. They were in large numbers while I was alone. One man was with me who was my guest. When the guest tried to hide inside a house, he was dragged out and hit with a rod in his head,” Mashakshe said writhing in pain.

He said he was deeply distressed and wanted justice only from the government. “I only seek justice from the government. These people put me and my family into deep trouble. I have a family at my home. They can do anything to them. Who will protect my children? I don’t know. Therefore, I request you all please give me justice. When they were assaulting me, they were forcing me to say ‘Jai Shri Ram’. I refused to say it as I’m a Maulana. Then, they hit me on the head with a stick. I was forced to say ‘Jai Shri Ram’. I was hit even though I said ‘Jai Shri Ram’, he said. Mashakshe runs a chicken shop and a fortune store. He also leads prayers in a nearby mosque. He has filed a complaint at the Valsang police station. “Although an FIR has been lodged the police did not listen to me,” he said.

For more information, contact:

Kashmir Media Service

Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549

Fax: +92-51-4861736

Email: info@kmsnews.org

Website: www.kmsnews.org