Muslim man assaulted in Kanpur, FIR filed

LUCKNOW: It might have been a property dispute gone horribly wrong, or something else, but a 25-second video of a Muslim man being paraded through the streets of Kanpur, and being repeatedly assaulted, even as his little daughter clings on to him and asks for help, has provoked outrage in the city.

The man, an e-rickshaw driver, said he was eventually rescued by the police.

The Kanpur police on Thursday lodged an FIR against 15 unidentified people for the incident which happened on Wednesday in Kanpur’s Barra area.

Kanpur deputy commissioner of police (DCP), South, Raveena Tyagi confirmed that an FIR has been registered in connection with the video at Barra police station.

She said the incident took place 500 metres from Ram Gopal crossing of Kacchi Basti locality under Barra police station limits. She could not confirm whether the men in the video, seen chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’, were affiliated to any organisation.

“On the complaint of the victim, we have lodged an FIR and legal action is under way,” she said.

The man said that around 3 pm on Wednesday, some people started abusing and assaulting him. They threatened to kill his family, he said, adding that he was saved by police. The man is a relative of a Muslim family, which is involved in a dispute with their Hindu neighbours in the Kanpur locality, police said.

The police statement said that in July, the two families filed complaints against each other at the local police station.

THE MAN, AN E-RICKSHAW DRIVER, SAID HE WAS RESCUED BY THE POLICE