UP man, accused of conversion, assaulted in public

Kanpur (UP): Amidst allegations of forcing religious conversions, right wing activists beat up a Muslim man in full public view.

The man, Aftar, was not only beaten but also made to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram'.

The incident took place in Varun Vihar area of Kanpur on Wednesday but came to light when a video clip went viral showing the victim's minor daughter crying and clinging to him and begging the mob to spare her father.

Aftar was later handed over to the police but the activists continued to assault him even while he was being taken away by the police.

According to Aftar's family members, Bajrang Dal members barged into their house on Wednesday evening, accusing him of trying to forcibly convert a Hindu woman into Islam.

The mob then took him out on the road, where he was paraded and beaten.

Meanwhile, a woman in Aftar's neighbourhood has alleged that he and his family had been pressurizing her to convert to Islam. She claimed she even approached the police and registered a complaint but no action was taken.

She said, "They have been forcing me to convert to Islam and even offered me Rs 20,000. I filed a police complaint against them but no one took any action. I finally approached the Bajrang Dal."

Bajrang Dal district organiser Dilip Singh admitted that his outfit did take ‘action' against Aftar.

He said, "Two days ago, we filed a complaint of religious conversion with the police but they did not take any action on it. Since the police did not take any action, we took an action."

Aftar's family claimed that the Bajrang Dal members have threatened them to leave the locality.

The family termed the woman's allegations as baseless.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP-South Kanpur) Raveena Tyagi said, "We have registered a case based on the man's complaint against some named and some unidentified people. The matter is being investigated and the footage of the assault is being scanned."