Gurugram, Aug 3: Two saffron extremists beat up a Muslim dhaba owner and forcibly shaved off his beard after tying him to a chair at Hari Nagar in Gurugram near the national capital. They also called him a “Pakistani”.
Three persons, including the hairdresser, have been arrested in this connection.
Jafruddin and his cook Ibrahim had gone to a salon for a haircut on July 31 around 6 p.m. when two young men got into an altercation with them without provocation and shaved off his beard. The FIR stated that Jafruddin had gone to buy vegetables along with Ibrahim, when the latter asked him to accompany him to the salon.
“When I reached the salon, two young men were already present there. After they were done, one of them asked me to get my beard shaved off. I refused saying that my religion did not permit it,” said Jafruddin, a resident of Badli village in Nuh’s Punhana block.
The matter escalated and the two young men allegedly abused him, beat him up and labelled him a “Pakistani”. “They said I was from Pakistan since I had refused to get my beard shaved off. The two men then tied me up to the chair with a scarf and threatened to kill me,” said Jafruddin.
When the hairdresser Ikhlas, also a Muslim, refused to shave off Jafruddin’s beard, the accused beat him up as well and tried to cut the beard with a razor on their own, the FIR stated. At this point, Ikhlas took the razor from them and shaved off Jafruddin’s beard.
Jafruddin said that he tried to call the Police Control Room soon after the incident, but the phone did not connect. “I was too scared to go the police station and went back home in Nuh. It was only after I told my family and villagers about the incident that they decided to take up the matter with the police,” said Jafruddin.
Station House Officer, Sector-37 Police Station, Inspector Jaibir Singh said a case was registered on charges of hurting religious sentiments, voluntarily causing hurt and criminal intimidation. Mr. Singh said that Gaurav, Nitin and hairdresser Ikhlas were arrested in this connection.
Gaurav belongs to Bulandshahar in Uttar Pradesh and Nitin is from Rohtak in Haryana. Ikhlas belongs to Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh. While Gaurav is unemployed, Nitin works at a private company. Both stay on rent in different localities in Gurugram.
Wajid Khan Nehru Yuva Sangathan Welfare Society chairman Hazid Shahzad Khan said the attacks on the minorities and the Scheduled Castes were on a rise in Gurugram and there prevailed an atmosphere of fear. He demanded that the government take immediate steps to tackle the situation.
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