Netizens trend #SorryAsif for Muslim boy, mercilessly thrashed for drinking water inside Hindu temple; Tejashwi Yadav too says ‘sorry’

Netizens joined hands to extend their collective apology to a Muslim boy, who was mercilessly assaulted for drinking water at a Hindu temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad district. Hashtag #SorryAsif remained a top trend for several hours on the microblogging site Twitter on Saturday. Among those extending their apology were Dalit rights activists, journalists, actor Swara Bhasker and, more notable, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.

The video of Asif being mercilessly thrashed by one Shringi Nandan Yadav from Bihar had left Twitterati stunned, evoking widespread outrage. In the video, Yadav was seen first asking the innocent boy his name by deceptively placing his hands around his shoulder as if to suggest that he cared about him. The boy had innocently replied that his name was Asif and his father’s name was Habib.

No sooner did the boy identify himself as a Muslim adding that he was thirsty and had entered the Hindu temple to drink water, Yadav had launched a brutal attack on the little child. Faced with growing outrage, the Ghaziabad Police had moved with lightning speed to arrest the Hindutva goon (seen above).

On Saturday, netizens took it upon themselves to issue a collective apology to Asif.

प्रिय आशिफ, एक आदिवासी आपसे ओबीसी वर्ग के गुमराह उदण्ड लड़के द्वारा मानवीय मूल्यों को तहस नहस करने वाली शर्मनाक हरकत पर माफी माँगता है। सॉरी आशिफ। सॉरी मुस्लिम भाइयों। #SorryAsif

— Hansraj Meena (@HansrajMeena) March 13, 2021

आसिफ़ एक प्रतीक है ऐसे लोगों के जो भाजपाइयों द्वारा फैलाए जा रहे घृणित मानसिकता और ज़हरीली विचारधारा का जो इंसान को इंसानियत से नहीं, उसके नाम, मज़हब या बकौल PM, कपड़ों से पहचानना और अमानवीय व्यवहार करना सिखाता है, के शिकार हुए।

सभी सच्चे धर्म और इंसानों की ओर से #SorryAsif !!

— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) March 13, 2021

This #SorryAsif trend is really moving. Thank you lovely people! Hope the child knows how much he’s loved by rest of Indians. Hope his perpetrator Shringi NandanYadav also realises one day how Hindutva gang misled him to be a hatemonger and it wasn’t worth it.

— Rifat Jawaid (@RifatJawaid) March 13, 2021

नंदन यादव नहीं करेगा तो क्या अमित शाह और नितिन गड़करी का बेटा हिंसा करेगा? जय शाह और निखिल तथा सारंग गड़करी अरबों रुपयों के व्यापारी हैं। बीजेपी के हर दूसरे मंत्री के बच्चे विदेश में हैं। गंदा काम और दंगा काम वे दलितों, पिछड़ों से ही कराते हैं। यही वर्ण व्यवस्था है। #SorryAsif

— Dilip Mandal (@Profdilipmandal) March 13, 2021

यादव तो दूर वो दरिंदा इंसान कहलाने लायक़ भी नही है, ऐसे लोगों को धक्के मारकर किनारे करना जरुरी है ऐसे दरिंदे समाज के लिए कैंसर से ज्यादा खतरनाक वायरस हैं। एक जिम्मेदार नागरिक के तौर पर हम उस बच्चे से माफ़ी मांगते हैं, क्योंकि ऐसा न हो ये हम सबकी जिम्मेदारी है #SorryAsif https://t.co/5MOQlEYTYh

— Brajesh Yadav?? (@BrajeshYadavSP) March 13, 2021

#SorryAsif

— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) March 13, 2021

Members of the Bhim Army too visited Asif’s house to meet the desperately poor child. There were Sikh groups on Twitter who advised Asif to look for Gurdwara the next time he felt thirsty and wanted to drink water. The overwhelming support and collective apology for Asif show that humanity is still alive in India. Many activists have urged the Yadav community to publicly boycott the Hindutva goon, now arrested for assaulting a Muslim child.