A 23-year-old man was stabbed multiple times in Bihar's Sitamarhi district for allegedly watching a video of suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, who kicked off a massive row over her remarks on Prophet Muhammad.
However, police have denied such claims and said that the attack, which took place on Thursday, was due to a personal enmity between the victim and a gang. The came to light only on Monday when family members of the injured youth, identified as Ankit Kumar Jha, said the local police had registered the FIR against the accused while removing the name of Sharma from the complaint copy.
Jha is currently receiving treatment at a private hospital in Darbhanga and his condition has been reported critical.
According to a report by India Today, Jha said that he was watching the video of Sharma at a paan shop when a gang led by a Muslim man came and started hurling abuses at him, following which the accused stabbed him six times in his waist.
His father, Manoj Jha, stated that along with Mohammad Bilal, five more people have been named as accused in the case.
Denying communal angle, SHO in charge of Nanpur police station, Vijay Kumar Ram said that the incident happened when the youth and the accused men gathered at a roadside stall for smoking. "For some unknown reasons, they started fighting with each other. Suddenly, the accused, identified as Gulab Rabbani alias Gora, stabbed Jha from the back," said Ram.