– Yusra Firdaus
Nadim Malik, a 27-year-old Muslim textile dealer, was brutally attacked on Friday while traveling from Mumbai to the Bulandshahar district of Uttar Pradesh by unidentified attackers. His attackers caused him great anguish on the train ride by shaving his head and beard and partially stripping him.
Malik had boarded the train on Wednesday. He had been employed as a shopkeeper in the Malad neighborhood of Mumbai. When Malik’s family posted a video of the attack on WhatsApp and filed a complaint, the incident became public knowledge.
Police sources state that the attack happened in Rajasthan, between Bharatpur and Kota, and that Malik’s relatives located him later in Delhi.
This is not an isolated instance. Similar incidents have been documented in the past, exposing a troubling pattern of prejudice and violence.
A 45-year-old Moradabad City aluminum trader went through a similar experience in January 2023. While on the Padmavat Express from Pratapgarh, Mohd Asim Hussain allegedly suffered a beating lasting over an hour, had his beard pulled, and was forced to chant ‘Jai Shree Ram’.
Three Muslim passengers and his senior officer were killed when a Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable opened fire on the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Superfast Express in July 2023. Nationwide indignation was sparked by the attacker’s open backing of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
