UP man tied to tree, beaten up and head tonsured on suspicion of theft
New Delhi: A Muslim man was allegedly beaten up after being tied to a tree and forced to chant “Jai Shri Ram” by three men who suspected him of stealing a mobile phone in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr.
The accused also recorded the entire incident and shared it on social media, which helped police in nabbing them. The incident was reported on June 13, but the accused were only arrested on Saturday after the victim’s family approached the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) City.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shlok Kumar said an FIR was registered against the three accused — Saurabh Thakur, Gajendra and Dhani Pandit — on Saturday (June 17). The SSP said Saurabh Thakur and Gajendra were arrested while raids to nab Dhami Pandit are on. According to the complaint registered at the Kakod police station, the victim, 28-year-old Sahil, was standing at the village bus stand on June 13, when three youths arrived, forced him to sit on their bike and took him away. They questioned him about a mobile theft, which Sahil denied being involved in. The accused then tied him to a tree, beat him up, shaved his head and forced him to chant “Jai Shri Ram”.
Sahil reached out to the police after he managed to flee. He claimed that they refused to take action and instead, charged him with theft and arrested him. Sahil and his family claimed that the police not only intimidated them but also forced them to withdraw their complaint. On June 17, the victim’s parents approached the ASP City with a complaint. They also cited the viral video of the assault as evidence in support of their claims.
Following their complaint, the police launched an inquiry, leading to the arrest of two of the three accused. In her complaint to the area police station, Sahil’s sister Rubeena said her brother is a daily-wage earner. He left home in the morning of June 14 to whitewash a house in the village.
The family of the victim alleged that the accused continue to threaten them.
