A man from Maharashtra's Latur was brutally beaten by a group of five men onboard Sainagar Shirdi–Kakinada Port Express near Hafizpet railway station in Hyderabad. The victim alleged that they started picking up and assaulting him based on his religious identity, for wearing a skullcap and having a beard.
32-year-old said they also assaulted his companion on the express train after they intervened. The video of the incident circulated on social media, where the victim can be seen crying and narrating the incident to police officers on the train.
The victim, identified as Imran Babu Sayyed (32) from Maharashtra's Latur and was travelling to Latur on Sainagar Shirdi–Kakinada Port Express at the time of the incident on February 9.
In a viral video of the man, where he recounts the incident to the police can be seen saying, "Mujhe bas uthaya aur marne chala (He just picked me up and went to hit me)," Imran told the officers. He said that they targeted him after seeing him with a beard and a skull cap, and even attacked his friend who tried to intervene.
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According to Imran, when a group of unknown men boarded the AC coach from Malakpeth Railway station and later at Hafeezpet station, he got down to shift to the general compartment. He said the group was already engaged in a physical altercation, prompting him to approach them and inquire about the man being hit.
The victim said that his beard was pulled, his skullcap was thrown away, and he was repeatedly assaulted, causing injuries that led to bleeding from his mouth. His friend, who attempted to intervene, was also allegedly beaten, and his mobile phone was snatched.