Bajrang Dal workers allegedly beat Muslim man in MP

A group of Bajrang Dal workers allegedly beat a Muslim man, who was travelling with a married Hindu woman, in an Ajmer-bound train and was forcibly picked up from the train at Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain railway station.

Bajrang Dal members assaulted the Muslim man, accusing him of being involved in 'Love Jihad' and they (woman and man) were made to sit for several hours at the Ujjain railway police station until their family members reached there from Indore and said that they were family friends known to each other.

The man and the woman were let off by the police after parents' statements that the Muslim man was travelling with Hindu woman because they were known to each other and there was no angle of alleged 'Love Jihad'.

Bajrang Dal workers not only deboarded both friends forcibly from the train but thrashed the man in the name of 'Love Jihad' and after handing him over to the railway police, one of the Bajrang Dal workers briefed the local media.

In one of the videos of the incident, which went viral on social media, three men who identified themselves as Bajrang Dal workers are seen dragging Asif Shaikh out of the train coach. As they take him to the police station, the woman is seen walking behind them. In another video recorded inside the police station, the woman is seen screaming at the Bajrang Dal men.

"Your one misunderstanding can spoil my life. I am an adult and work as a teacher in a school, I teach children," the woman was heard saying in one of the videos. One of the Bajrang Dal men identified as Pintu Kaushal is seen telling her that he was not talking to her.

They (Hindu woman and Muslim man) have not lodged any complaint against Bajrang Dal members. The incident had occurred on January 14, said the railway police.

While the man was identified as Asif Shaikh, owner of a small electronic shop, the woman is a private school teacher.

Government Railway Police (GRP) Superintendent of Police (SP), Nivedita Gupta said Shaikh and the woman were family friends and had known each other for years.

"Bajrang Dal members had brought the man and woman alleging Love Jihad, however, when questioned it was found that they were family friends and both adults, and there was no offence. They were let scot-free after the statement of their parents were recorded," Gupta added.

Railway Police said they were not aware that the man was beaten up while being brought to the police station.

"Neither man nor the woman said that they were thrashed during the interrogation, hence no case was registered. It was just an incident that occurred due to misinformation," the GRP SP said.