In a shocking incident amplifying hatred towards minorities, a 25-year-old Muslim man from Bihar was allegedly beaten by a group of men at Jacubpura in Gurugram and forced to chant slogans like ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and ‘Jai Shri Ram’ on Saturday night. The accused persons allegedly threw his skull cap to the ground while assaulting him. Police said, First Information Report (FIR) has been registered and a probe has been launched, however, no arrests have been made so far.

The incident happened when the victim named Mohammad Barkat was returning to his shop around 10 pm on Saturday after offering prayers at Jama Masjid located on Sohna chowk.

He was attacked by around half a dozen men outside a sweet shop. The men threw his cap on the ground and hurled abuses.

However, when Barkat tried to defend himself, he was told that he was not allowed to wear a skull cap in the area. “When I told them that I was returning from a mosque, they slapped me. They also asked me to shout ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Jai Shri Ram’. When I refused, they threatened to feed me pork,” Barkat alleged.

He had come to Gurugram earlier this month to work as a tailor.

The victim also said that his shirt was torn apart when he tried to run away. The man allegedly hit him with a stick and hurled abuses. “When I started crying, the men left. Two of them just walked away and four of them drove away in a motorcycle,” the victim said.

Soon after the incident Barkat’s cousin Murtuja then took him to civil hospital for treatment. Later the hospital authorities made a call to the police.

“An FIR under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC has been registered against an unknown accused at City police station. The probe team is scanning CCTV cameras at the incident spot to identify the culprits. No arrests have been made so far,” said Subhash Boken spokesperson of the Gurugram police.