A16-year-old Muslim boy was allegedly beaten by unidentified men here forwearing a traditional skull cap and refusing to chant “Jai Shri Ram”,police said on Saturday.
The incidentoccurred on Friday when Mohammad Taj, a resident of Barra, was returning homeafter offering namaz in Kidwai Nagar, the Uttar Pradesh police said.
Three orfour unidentified motorcyclists stopped Taj a few hundred metres from his housefor overtaking them and objected to him wearing the skull cap, Station HouseOfficer (Barra) Satish Kumar Singh said.
Singh saidthe attackers asked the teenager to chant “Jai Shri Ram”, and kickedand punched him badly after he refused to do so.
“Theyremoved my cap, pinned me down and beat me black and blue while asking me tochant ‘Jai Shri Ram’,” Taj told PTI.
The16-year-old alleged that the men told him that wearing the skull cap was”not allowed” in the area.
The teenagersaid he cried for help and begged a couple of shopkeepers to rescue him. Later,he added, some passersby rushed to help him, following which the attackersfled.
An FIR hasbeen registered under the Indian Penal Code, including Section 153A (causingenmity between people of different religions), the officer said.
A medicalexamination of the victim has been done and efforts are on to identify theaccused, Singh added.