In a deeply disturbing incident in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh, three men have been booked after a 15-year-old Muslim boy was allegedly assaulted and coerced into urinating on a Pakistani flag. The incident, which took place during a protest against the Pahalgam terror attack, came to light after videos of the assault went viral on social media.
According to the complaint filed by Abdul Qadir, a resident of Shah Jamal, the boy was returning home from school when he encountered a protest where a Pakistani flag inscribed with “Pakistan Murdabad” was deliberately placed on the road. Upon picking up the flag, he was reportedly surrounded by a group of men—identified as Raju, a bookshop owner, Nitin, a grocery shop owner, and an unidentified individual—who allegedly abused him, insulted the Muslim community, and forced him to desecrate the flag.
Videos circulating online show the boy being beaten and coerced into chanting nationalist slogans like “Hindustan Zindabad” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, while being subjected to abusive language. Another video appears to capture the boy placing the flag on the ground and urinating on it under pressure.
The FIR, lodged at the Banna Devi police station, includes serious charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita including rioting, voluntarily causing hurt, criminal intimidation, provocation to breach peace, and circulation of false information. Police official Pankaj Kumar Misra confirmed that the boy had been forced into the act during the protest.
Abdul Qadir alleged in his complaint that Raju and Nitin had previously been involved in incidents aimed at disturbing communal harmony. He added that the actions of the group had hurt the sentiments of the Muslim community and disturbed peace in the area by abusing and attacking Muslims in public.
The police are continuing their investigation into the incident, which has sparked outrage and concern among local residents and rights activists.
