4 men beat up Muslim youth for wearing skull cap, force him to chant Jai Shri Ram

A 25-year-old Muslim man was allegedly assaulted in Gurugram by four unidentified youths for wearing traditional skull cap, an official said on Sunday.

The victim was identified as Mohamad Barker Alam, a Bihar native, living here in Jakob Pura area of Gurugram.

In a complaint to the police, Alam alleged that four unidentified youths accosted him in a Sadar Bazar lane and objected to him wearing the skull cap.

"The accused threatened me, saying wearing cap was not allowed in the area. They removed my cap and slapped me, while asking me to chant Bharat Mata ki Jai," Alam said in the FIR, lodged at the city police station.

"As I followed their instruction and chanted Bhrat Mata ki Jai, they asked me to chant Jai Shri Ram, which I refused. At this, the youths picked up a baton from the roadside and began mercilessly beating me. They hit me on my legs and back," he added.

In the FIR, Alam said he was returning home after offering Namaz in a mosque at Sadar Bazar when the incident took place.

He said as he cried for help, other people from his community rushed to help him. This forced the assailants to flee.

"We have received a complaint about the incident and registered an FIR under sections 153, 147, 149, 323 and 506 in the city police station. We have also conducted medical examination of victim," said Gurgaon City ACP Rajiv Kumar.

While section 153 of the IPC pertains to causing enmity between people of different religions, sections 147 and 149 define offences of riots and unlawful assembly, respectively. Sections 323 and 506 deals with offences of causing hurt and crminal intimidation.

"We are also scanning the CCTV footage of the area to identify the accused. Efforts are on to nab them," ACP added.