Shyamnagar (West Bengal): A Hindu theatre artist has come forward with a disturbing account of being beaten by four men who allegedly targeted him after he confirmed he was Muslim, near Shyamnagar railway station in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.
Subhankar Dassharma, a theatre artist, shared his account on Facebook, describing how the incident unfolded shortly after midnight on July 28 as he was returning home after a performance. Four men stopped him after noticing his black kurta and pyjamas and began questioning him about his religion.
When they asked whether he was Muslim, Dassharma refused to answer on their terms. He responded, “What if I am a Muslim?” stating that in a free and sovereign country, he was not obliged to disclose his religion to strangers.
The men then dragged him and pressed him repeatedly to reveal his religious identity. When he confirmed he was Muslim, the attack escalated. The assailants struck him repeatedly on his eyes, head, ears and chest while shouting “Jai Shri Ram” with each blow, he alleged.
The attack left him on the ground and briefly unconscious. His black kurta was torn during the assault. A photograph he shared appeared to show his left eye swollen shut, with visible bruising and swelling across the left side of his face.
After regaining consciousness, Dassharma made his way home. He spent several days dealing with severe pain and psychological distress. He initially sought medical advice over the telephone and relied on pain medication. When his condition did not improve, he visited the emergency department of B.N. Bose Sub-Divisional Hospital on August 2.
Doctors identified serious injuries to his eye, ear and ribs and referred him to specialists. He received treatment in the ophthalmology, orthopaedics and ENT departments. Doctors reportedly diagnosed him with an eye injury and a perforated eardrum.
Dassharma said fear had stopped him from speaking out immediately. He had initially hoped to resolve the matter locally and had asked friends not to publicise the incident.
He said he decided to speak after seeing abusive comments directed at his sister on social media. “I have overcome my fear. Once fear is gone, it no longer has any hold over you,” he wrote.
The incident has drawn attention to the threat of religiously motivated violence and the pressures faced by individuals who assert their identity in public spaces.
