Amid reports of threats and violence on Kashmiris across the country after the Pulwama terror attack, a 24-year-old journalist hailing from Jammu and Kashmir and currently working with a national English daily in Pune was allegedly attacked by some local youths in Maharashtra's Pune.
Jibran Nazir was allegedly thrashed by two men on Thursday night following an argument at a traffic signal. The two alleged attackers told Nazir that they would "send him back to Kashmir".
Taking to Twitter, Jibran Nazir said, "I find no reason to believe that the attack on me last night, because I come from Kashmir, was an organised one. Thus, I withdrew my complaint against the accused. But, apparently, mob affiction is making inroads to Pune as well. @CPPuneCity please take notice (sic)."
The incident happened on Tilak Road at around 10.45 pm when Nazir was returning home on a motorbike. As he stopped at a traffic signal, two men on a motorbike behind him started honking, asking him to move, which led to a brawl.
The local police, who earlier dubbed it as an incident of road rage, registered a case against two suspected attackers on Friday evening and arrested one of them.
However, Nazir stated that it was not an "organised" attack.
The attackers later apologised to him at the police station, he said.
A police official said it was an incident of road rage and not linked with the Pulwama attack.
The incident came a day after students from Kashmir studying in a college in Yavatmal in Maharashtra were attacked, allegedly by members of the Yuva Sena, the youth wing of the Shiv Sena.
Noticing that his motorbike had a Himachal Pradesh (HP) registration number, the two said they would send him off to Himachal Pradesh.
When Nazir corrected them, saying he was a journalist from Jammu and Kashmir, the two beat him up, saying "we will send you back to Kashmir, do your journalism there," he claimed.
They snatched his mobile phone, damaged his bike and fled, he said.
Nazir said he decided not to pursue the matter further and withdrew his police complaint.
Later on Friday evening, the Pune Police registered a case, on their own, against Azharuddin Shaikh, 32, and Dattatray Lavate, 35, the two suspects.
While Azharuddin Shaikh was arrested, the police were in the process of arresting Dattatray Lavate, he said.
(Inputs from agencies)
