Ranchi, July 31: A Muslim youth, Obaidullah Hasnain, was brutally attacked by a group of individuals in Ranchi, Jharkhand’s capital, on Monday night. The attackers forced him to chant the Hindutva slogan “Jai Shri Ram”, as per a report by the Siyasat.
Obaidullah, from the Hindpiri area, was ambushed by 4-5 people wielding sticks, leaving him unconscious. He recounted, “I was running an errand near Hindi School when I was verbally abused by a group. When I objected, they encircled me and demanded I chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’. A scuffle ensued, and more people emerged from nearby temples to beat me with sticks.” He sustained a serious hand fracture but managed to escape, later filing a complaint at Hindpiri police station.
The victim identified some of the attackers as Vishnu, Golu, Karan, and Hritik. Police have begun investigations, with DCP Prakash Sai stating, “We are verifying the names given and will arrest the culprits.”
This incident follows several recent lynchings in the state, including the death of Akhtar Ansari two weeks ago. Jharkhand passed an anti-lynching bill in December 2021, becoming the fourth state to do so after West Bengal, Manipur, and Rajasthan.
