Barabanki, February 5: A shopkeeper abused and beat a Hindu youth who had come to offer a chadar with a Muslim woman at the Deva Sharif shrine in Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh, and forced him to wash off the tilak on his forehead. The youth filed a complaint against the shopkeeper at the local Deva police station.
Harish Sharma, a resident of Dussehra Bagh in the city police station, had come to offer a chadar at the Deva Sharif shrine on Thursday afternoon with a Muslim woman as his neighbour. He was outside when the woman went inside to offer the chadar. Meanwhile, a shopkeeper grabbed his ears and slapped him. He also forced him to wash off the tilak on his forehead. The victim submitted a written application to the police demanding action. The entire incident was recorded on video in a nearby shop.
Ayesha Bano, a Muslim woman who had come to the shrine, said that Harish Sharma, a boy from the neighborhood, had brought her there. The shopkeeper had assaulted her and even made her wash off the tilak from her forehead. Police have detained the shopkeeper and are interrogating him. The SSI stated that available video footage of the incident has also been included in the investigation.
Senior Sub-Inspector Dharmendra Pratap Singh of Deva Police Station stated that a case is being registered under relevant sections based on the video that surfaced on social media and the victim’s complaint. He added that the video is being investigated and further legal action will be taken based on the facts.