Ranchi, Jharkhand – In a disturbing incident of religiously motivated violence, three Muslim labourers were brutally attacked by a mob of over 30 individuals allegedly linked to Hindutva groups in the Namkum area of Ranchi on June 6. The assault, captured in a viral video on social media, has once again brought attention to rising hate crimes against minorities in India, as per a report by the Siasat.
The victims, who were on a lunch break after offering Friday prayers at a nearby mosque, were approached by a few men who began interrogating them. “They asked us, ‘Who are you? What are your names? What are you doing here?’ When we told them our names and they saw our kurta-pyjama, they realised we were Muslims,” recounted one of the assaulted men in the video.
The confrontation escalated rapidly as the group swelled to nearly 40 members. The labourers were allegedly accused of being cow thieves and were forced to chant “Jai Shri Ram”. When they refused, the mob turned violent.
“They began beating us brutally. When I managed to escape and informed our colleagues, they rushed to the spot only to find two of my friends tied to a tree and being beaten mercilessly with sticks. Had help not arrived, we could have been killed,” said one of the victims.
The survivors further accused the local police of mishandling their complaint. “The police initially refused to register the part where we were forced to chant religious slogans. They accused us of lying and cut out crucial details from our statement. We had to insist they include everything,” the victim alleged.
Despite repeated attempts by the media to contact the Namkum Police for comment, no response was received at the time of publishing.
This incident comes amid a rising number of targeted assaults against Muslims in various parts of India, raising concerns over the growing impunity enjoyed by vigilante mobs operating in the name of religion.
