A shocking video of an elderly Muslim man being brutally beaten by some youths has gone viral on social media. The incident has taken place in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.
In the video which has now gone viral, a 72-year-old man, Abdul Samad Saifi, was allegedly attacked by at least four men and forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in Ghaziabad’s Loni.
According to police, the incident took place on June 5 but was uploaded on social media a few days ago and it shows a man hitting Saifi and trying to cut off his beard as the victim tries to evade the blows. One of the accused has been identified as Ghaziabad resident Pravesh Gujjar, who has been arrested.
Abdul Samad Saifi, a resident of Bulandshahr, was attacked on his way to Loni. He has alleged he was targeted because of his religion.
"An FIR has been lodged in connection with the incident and the main accused has been arrested. We are consulting the locals in the area and other steps will be taken," police said.
Abdul Samad Saifi also shared a video. "I was abducted by four men sitting in front of me as I was going by autorickshaw. They took me to a forest place and started beating me. I kept begging them to leave. They repeatedly told me to chant 'Jai Shri Ram'. He hit me on the back and told me to say 'Jai Shri Ram', "Saifi said in the video. Every time I cried in pain and inadvertently uttered “Allah” they beat me up again asking me to chant Jai Shri Ram instead. They even chopped my beard, calling me a Pakistani spy," said Samad. Police officials are investigating the matter further.