Muslim Man Forced to Chant 'Jai Shri Ram' in Ujjain, Two Accused Arrested

The man, Rashid, was also forced to chant ‘Jai Shree Ram’

Abdul Rashid, a Muslim man and a scrap dealer, was visiting a village in Ujjain for work, when he was stopped by a group of young men and his wares were tossed about.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Video Producer: Mayank Chawla
Video Editor: Sandeep Suman

Yet another instance of communally-charged harassment has emerged from Madhya Pradesh. As can be seen in a video doing the rounds on social media, Abdul Rashid, a Muslim man and a scrap dealer, was visiting a village in Ujjain for work, when he was stopped by a group of young men and his wares were tossed about.

Rashid was also forced to chant ‘Jai Shri ram’.

In the video, the young men can be heard asking Rashid (in Hindi) 'how dare you enter our village and do business here.' They also tell him repeatedly that he will have to say Jai Shri Ram.

Jharda police station-in charge Vikram Singh has informed that the incident took place on Saturday, 28 August.

The police, he said, has taken cognisance of the matter and registered a case against the youth for harassment of an individual from a minority community. Meanwhile, a search for the men seen in the video is said to be underway.

Both the accused – Kamal and Ishwar – were arrested by the police, SP Satyendra Kumar Shukla confirmed.

"We identified the perpetrators with the help of the video footage and charged them under sections 323, 294, 331,153(A), 505(2) of the IPC. They are being questioned about the incident. If anybody else is involved we will take immediate action against them as well," he told reporters.

"I’d also like to urge people to not share unverified videos on social media platforms. If anybody attempts to instigate communal hatred through social media and disturb Ujjain’s peace, then the police will be watching them and take strict action against them."

Satyendra Kumar Shukla, Ujjain SP

Kamal Nath Reacts

Reacting to the incident, MP Congress chief Kamal Nath, in a Twitter thread, asked if all such acts are being carried out with a specific agenda. He also asked if the government is a mute spectator while anarchy takes over the state.

Further, he asked the government to take strict action against lawless elements, irrespective of their religious identity, and put an end to all such incidents.

Previously, in MP’s Indore, on Sunday, 22 August, a muslim bangle seller was thrashed by a mob. The incident was recorded in a video that went viral. In the video, the violent crowd is heard hurling statements like 'He is a Muslim', 'Dare you to come into a Hindu area again', 'Everyone hit at least once'.