On March 26, three madrasa students in outer Delhi’s Begumpur area were brutally assaulted by right-wing goons for their refusal to chant ‘Jai mata ki.’
One 18-year-old had his arm broken and his other two classmates injured in the attacks by a group of thugs.
Though police registered an FIR three days after the incident on charges of assault and wrongful restraint, they’ve failed to make any arrests so far.
Dilkash (pictured) told Indian Express that, he and his friends, Ajmal and Naeem, were walking through a park in the area when they were assaulted. “My friends and I had gone to Bans Wala park, some 300 metres from the madrasa, when we were attacked by a group of young men. They spotted us because we were wearing caps and asked us to say Jai Mata Ki.”
Deputy Commissioner of Police Vikramjit Singh told IE that a case was registered Tuesday under sections 323 (causing hurt), 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 34 of the Indian Penal Code at Begumpur police station. “We were waiting for the medico-legal report.
Dilkash said that, one of the assailants hit Ajmal after they “refused to chant Jai Mata Ki.
“When I intervened, they started beating me as well,” said Dilkash, adding that Naeem was also roughed up. Dilkash, Ajmal and Naeem are from Bihar’s Purnia district and came to Delhi last year to study at the Faiz-ul-uloom Ghausia madrasa in Ramesh Enclave’s Mohammadi Masjid.
The trio said they managed to escape after a few minutes and flee towards the madrasa. “We called the police on 100 and they responded fast by sending a police vehicle that took us to a hospital,” said Naeem.
Sonu, a local resident, said, “Police did not act even after multiple calls were made by us. Finally, the youth were taken in a PCR vehicle to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial hospital.” Ajmal said they had given police the names of two of the attackers. Madrasa committee member Bilal said such an incident was unprecedented in the locality.
“People from several communities live in this area and we have never heard of such an attack. We request police to catch the culprits as soon as possible,” he said. According to Bilal, the madrasa was started 25 years ago and taught students from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi. “At least 20 young men study and live here with the help of donations from local residents,” he said.
