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A Muslim man in Assam was on Sunday assaulted by a mob for allegedly selling beef. The 68-year-old man, identified as Shaukat Ali by the police, runs an eatery which serves meat.
In a video that went viral on socila media, the man, identified as Shaukat Ali, can be seen kneeling in mud surrounded by an angry mob. The mob asks Ali why he is selling beef. They also asked whether his name is included in the list of National Register of Citizens (NRC).
The video also shows the mob forcing Ali to eat pork while they continue to shoot the video.
After the incident, the police on Monday registered a FIR and detained several individuals for questioning.
“An FIR has been registered vide Case no. 80/ 2019 u/s 143/ 341/ 325/ 294(a)/ 295-A/ 153- A(b)/ 384 IPC. Investigators are on the job to apprehend the culprits,” said police in Biswanath.
According to reports, the mob also man-handled Kamal Thapa, the manager of the market who tried to resist the mob. The police, however, said it’s not an act of ‘communal tension’.
Speaking to Outlook, some of the eye witnesses said that the issue started when some of the locals went to seek donation from the traders in the market.
“When Ali denied to donate money, they started all these to take the revenge,” said a local in the condition of anonymity.
AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi slammed the incident on Twitter, writing "I know many people who feel they're desensitized because of the number of lynchings in the last five years. I am not, each video infuriates me and saddens me."
Owaisi added, "It's irrelevant that beef is legal in Assam, lynching an innocent old man is illegal in every part of India."
The district administration and police have also called for a public meeting.
Cow slaughter is not banned in Assam but permission is required from a veterinary officer as only cows aged over 14 years are allowed to be slaughtered.
