A 25-year-old bangle seller appeared in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. A group of men thrashed him mercilessly in full public view. On top of that, the mob took away the 10,000 rupees he had with him and vandalized his goods. This happened on 22nd August, Sunday. The police registered a case late at night only when hundreds of the local people stood outside the police station creating chaos and demanding action against the accused.
What did Home Minister say about the bangle seller?
When the media asked Home Minister Narottam Mishra about the incident, he simply quoted a police investigation. He said that the mob attacked the victim only after they realized that he was using a fake name and ID to sell his goods. The mob vandalized his articles because they were confirmed that he was not a Hindu but a Muslim.
Video of the mob beating the bangle seller
A video of the entire incident was circulating on social media. It shows that people identified the bangle seller as a Muslim named Tasleem. A group of men was beating him in a crowded street in the Banganga area of Indore. The people who were thrashing the victim hurled religious slang at him. The other people stood around in a circle and watched while no one bothered to help the poor victim.
What did a single person do to harass the bangle seller?
A particular man actually took the initiative to harass the bangle seller. He shouted out to people to take whatever they wanted out of his bag because he would not be seen in the area anymore. As he was saying this, he took out all the bangles from his bag. He also asked the public to come forward and beat up the poor victim. By this time a man from behind had already started pilling his t-shirt. After this, three to four men came forward and beat him mercilessly.
The victim’s statement
The victim, in his complaint to the police, said, “The accused first asked my name and started beating me once I revealed it. They also robbed the Rs 10,000 I was carrying and vandalized bangles and other material that I had.” The police filed a case against the unidentified men. In this case, they are accused of robbery, assault, rioting, intimidation, and also trying to disturb communal harmony.
The Home Minister said that the victim was selling his goods using a Hindu name. The police recovered two Aadhar cards from him having two different names. The police have appealed to the public not to react to the posts they see on social media about the incident.
News from another source about the bangle seller
This was the news from one source. Another source revealed that the public thrashed the bangle seller because he was molesting women on the pretext of selling bangles. After the video went viral, Uttar Pradesh Congress leader Imran Pratapgarhi described the assailants as ‘terrorists’ and attacked the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government. He further tweeted, “Narendra Modi Ji, is this the India you wanted to make? When will action be taken against these terrorists?” He further said that the police were trying to cover up the incident.
The statement of the police regarding the case
Ashutosh Bagri, a senior police officer in Indore East police station said that they have registered a case as the victim narrated the incident. They were also investigating but would like the local people not to react to the posts they see on social media as they are communal in nature. They were also trying to identify the accused through the video and strict legal action would be taken against them.