A group of madrasa students were assaulted and allegedly forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ purportedly by right-wing activists in Unnao, resulting in at least four of them being injured, police said on Friday.
The boys, all of them minors, were allegedly beaten with cricket stumps and bats, and also attacked with stones.
“Almost all of them had their kurtas ripped by the miscreants,” said Naeem Miswahi, the imam of the Darul Uloom Faize Aam Madrasa.
Around 10-12 boys of the madrasa were playing cricket at the Government Inter College grounds in Unnao on Thursday afternoon, their half-day, when four youth approached them and asked them to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’. When the boys refused, they were slapped and hit with the stumps, Mr. Miswahi said.
The victims said their bats were then snatched and used to attack them by the miscreants, who then pelted stones as the madrasa students fled in panic.
“When we did not chant [Jai] Shri Ram, they hit us more,” said one of the boys whose head was struck by a stone. A native of Mathura, he was also beaten up with a cricket bat, he said.
Another boy hailing from Kanpur injured his foot, while one had his hand fractured in the assault. The miscreants also damaged the bicycle of another boy who was also injured, said Mr. Miswahi.
An FIR was registered against four persons at the Kotwali police station in Unnao on charges of assault, voluntarily causing hurt, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace and criminal intimidation.
Circle Officer Umesh Tyagi said police were investigating the role of the accused persons and if they belonged to any right-wing group or political party. Three of the accused have been identified. Two persons have been detained for questioning, said Mr. Tyagi.
After their detention, a large number of right-wing activists gathered outside the police station and demanded the release of the two persons. However, Mr. Tyagi did not wish to name any party or outfit. “We received an application on a simple piece of paper demanding the release of the persons. There was no organisation named on the letterhead,” said the officer.
Unnao Superintendent of Police M.P Verma said the probe so far has not confirmed that the madrasa students were forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’, but the incident is still being investigated.
