A scuffle erupted in the Budh Vihar Colony in the Chhijarsi Chowki region of Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Budh Nagar district (Noida) after a WhatsApp story in favour of the BJP was posted. Five youths were assaulted by a group of Muslim men. Two of them were severely beaten and assaulted with sharp objects. Salim Pasha is the prime accused in this crime. In this 11 February incident, six people have been detained so far, along with a juvenile.
Virender Singh Jat wrote in the complaint filed with the police, “On February 10, I made a BJP-supporting status update on my phone. At roughly 10:35 p.m., Salim Pasha of my neighbourhood responded with filthy obscenities. Following that, on the 11th of February, at 5 p.m., as I returned home with my friends Atul and Ajay following the treatment of a cow, we were ambushed by Salim Pasha and his companions Shadab, Salman, Raja Altaf, Afroz, and Aman Chukchi. About 30 more unidentifiable persons were among the assailants.”
“After the incident, we were encircled and attacked again when we were going to the police station to get the FIR registered,” the complaint said. “In this encounter, Ravi Thakur and Pawan Thakur were hurt. They were kidnapped and taken into a residence in this condition. In the home, both of them were attacked with sharp weapons once again. We called the police on 112 and notified them of the situation. The cops arrived and rescued Ravi and Pawan from the accused’s home. Ravi has been admitted to the hospital,” it added.
A case has been filed in this regard by the Uttar Pradesh Police. In this case, Salman, Raja, Salim, Aman Chukchi, Afroz, Altaf, and Shadab have all been implicated. The accused has been charged under sections 147, 149, 323, 324, 365, 342, 506, and 67 of the Information Technology Act. The attack’s victims are between the ages of 20 and 30, and they work for the service of cows.
Gautam Buddh Nagar police tweeted to confirm that a case has been registered in the matter under strict sections, and five accused were arrested till yesterday.
Ravi Thakur is the most severely injured in the incident and is being treated at SJM Hospital in Chhijarsi.
OpIndia reaches SJM hospital
OpIndia conducted an on-the-ground inquiry into the incident. We began our ground reporting from SJM Hospital at 3 p.m. on February 12. More individuals were not permitted to approach the injured at the hospital because of security concerns. There were no police officers on the scene. Apart from the injured’s family, some Hindu activists and media personnel were there at the moment.
We were able to reach the injured Ravi Thakur after obtaining permission from the SJM Hospital security guard. Ravi Thakur was taken for an ultrasound at the time. Ravi Kumar’s family members were in attendance. We asked their families to speak outside the hospital’s gate so that the hospital’s protocols and other patients were not disrupted. They agreed to this request.
Injured Ravi Thakur’s mother talks to OpIndia
Pinky, the injured Ravi Thakur’s mother, told OpIndia, “My son had gone to serve the cow.” I only have one son. These individuals (accused) stabbed him several times. We discovered it at about 8 p.m. Our son had already been admitted to the hospital by the time we received the call. My husband is a security guard. We are residents of Kanpur Dehat, Uttar Pradesh. We are handling the entire treatment ourselves. The cops have arrived at the hospital and interrogated my son. My son is not in a position to convey the facts correctly. He’s in a lot of pain. His head is shattered. The head has been assaulted from four different angles. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to hear his voice.” During this entire conversation, Ravi Thakur’s mother kept crying.
Ravi Thakur’s father speaks to OpIndia
“My name is Thakur Sukhveer Singh,” said Ravi Thakur’s father. ” My son was working in addition to learning. During the lockdown, he had lost his job. We had gone to the village in the meanwhile. He was seeking for work once he returned. I have no knowledge of the situation. I received the information while on duty. When I arrived after hearing the news, I discovered this situation. I have no ill will toward anyone. The formation of the BJP government has led to this scuffle.” he added.
OpIndia talks to Pawan Kumar Tomar, the second victim of the attack
Pawan Kumar Tomar is the second victim, whom the attackers tried to kill by locking them in the house. Pawan Tomar told OpIndia, “The main reason behind the incident is the posting of BJP WhatsApp status by my friend Virender Chaudhary (Virender Jat). On this status, a boy named Salim Pasha abused him. Salim is infamous for doing vagabonds in 25 futa area. At the time of the incident, 25 to 30 people attacked Virender Chaudhary. Virender called me after the attack. Then I was taking care of the cow. I sent Virender to the police station and then drove there myself. When I arrived, I noticed that the friends with me were rushing ahead of me. They were being chased by a group of Muslim men.”
Pawan Kumar Tomar further said, “I heard that there was an announcement from the mosques that there was a fight with the Bajrang Dal people. We will have to see them today. Everyone was gathered at Salim’s house. Ravi Bhai was also with me. Me and Ravi Bhai were assaulted. When I stopped there with a bike, seeing the Chandan on my forehead, they (the attackers) said that he too belongs to the Bajrang Dal. They abducted us both threatening to slay us. After taking us inside a house and locking, a fat man made the first attack on Ravi Bhai with a sword. Blood began to pour from Ravi Bhai’s head as a result of that impact. I felt a bit frightened. I was terrified so I rushed to the room in front of me. I locked from the inside after that. Then I dialed 112 for assistance. After then, the cops arrived. After the cops arrived, we were free to depart. At least 7 to 8 police vans had arrived. Women were also involved in this incident, along with men. They threw bricks from the roofs. A brick did hit me on the back. There is still some swelling. I told them I wasn’t there and they shouldn’t harm me, but they said you’re from Bajrang Dal as well. They kept shouting Bajrang Dal throughout the attack.”
Complainant and victim Virender Singh Jat spoke to OpIndia
Virender Singh Jat is the same young man who is claimed of being assaulted by Salim Pasha, based on WhatsApp statuses he wrote in favour of the BJP. In this case, Virender is also the complainant. “On the 10th, I typed ‘Only BJP Bhagwadhari’ with the status of my voter ID,” he stated in an interview with OpIndia. Salim Pasha, a student alongside me, verbally harassed me because of my standing. I also responded to him. Then he invited me to meet him the next day. We work as cow helpers. In the evening, we went to a look for an ill cow. We were on our way back home but were besieged and beaten. We ran from there. Then, as we were about to report it to the police, the inhabitants in his entire neighborhood did beat us up again.”
Virender Singh Jat further said, “Two of our friends were picked up and locked in the house. Their names are Pawan Kumar Tomar and Ravi Thakur. Pawan Bhai called 112 and called the police. In the meantime, Ravi was wounded due to beating with swords and knives. Along with them, 1-2 more boys were also beaten. After information on 112, the police reached and took them to the police station. Ravi Bhai was taken to the hospital for treatment. With us, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Gau Raksha Dal, and Agniveer teams arrived at the police station. There, a group of Muslims began to arrive. There were a lot of people that came from there. They were escorted away by the cops. Even with the cops, they were doing “tu-tu, main-main.”
According to Virender, “Our house is in street number 7 and Salim’s house is in street number 4. There is only a short distance between our house. There are more Muslim people and fewer Hindus. Salim Pasha has not been caught yet. I am Jat I support Yogi-Modi. None of the politicians they helped me. Sunil Chaudhary or anyone from Samajwadi Party did not come to ask us anything. I would like to tell my Jat brothers not to fall for them.”
Victims’ friend and their Gau Seva group chief Vishal Gautam spoke to OpIndia
Vishal Gautam told OpIndia, “On the day of the incident, as usual, these boys were coming after doing cow service. A few hours before that, there was a dispute about their WhatsApp status. Status was in support of BJP. Because of this, the Muslim youth of the same place disputed with them. The rule of our Agniveer organization is to inform the authorities after every incident. That’s why he (complainant Virender Singh Jat) informed me about the whole incident. I instructed them to go to the police station and file a complaint. That’s when they (the assailants) declared, ‘If we have to go to jail, we’ll go after murdering them.’ They issued a call and assembled all of the men. Several of our men were harmed there, most notably Pawan Tomar and Ravi Thakur. They were stabbed with whatever was in the form of a knife. He has one and a half to two-inch incisions on his skull. In addition, there are 13-14 stitches.”
Vishal Gautam further said, “Ravi was left by the attackers as dead. After this they started beating Pawan. Pawan had locked himself in the room. I live in Dasna so it took me a while to come. By then the police and some friends in the media had been informed. I went down that street. As soon as I entered my street, the father of the accused Salim Pasha blocked the street. At the same time, he went inside to call more people. Sensing the situation, I came out with a scooty. Then the teams of Noida and Ghaziabad police reached the spot. The police took both (Ravi and Pawan) out of the house and got Ravi admitted to the hospital. They took the rest to the police station.”
“We have filed a named complaint against eight persons,” says Vishal Gautam. ” Some are unidentified. While filing a complaint at the police station, the accused were there. Then one of his men entered and drove the accused away. Amirul Hasan is one of their leaders’ names. In Buddha Vihar, he runs an illegal school. There is no acknowledgment of that school. Outside the police station, Amirul Hasan stated that ‘if they do not agree to stop from filing an FIR, beat them cruelly.’ This was heard by the cops themselves. From there, they reprimanded Amirul and drove him away. Following that, the men from Buddha Vihar informed us that the announcement had been made in the mosque here. According to the announcement, our men were being thrashed by cops at Sector 63 police station. While not a single boy was ever harmed. Following this, around 300 people packed into vehicles and lined up in groups of 10-12 at each junction in Noida Sector 63.”
Vishal Gautam went on to say, “When roughly 50 people arrived from our side as well, the cops urged us to remove the throng. They stated this in order to maintain societal peace. It also reminded me of election season. We returned our friends. Afterward, at one and a half a.m.in the night, Amirul Hasan arrived at the hospital in his car. I was sitting outdoors on my scooty with 4-5 buddies since I had not received clearance from the hospital authorities upstairs. Amirul Hasan began by claiming that the police had apprehended another Salman as a result of his actions. Amirul Hasan requested that I negotiate Salman’s release. In addition, he warned me with penalties if I did not comply. He began attempting to get a friend of mine, Atul Tiwari, to sit in his car.”
Vishal Gautam went on to explain, “So far, the police action is ongoing.” The police are raiding. According to reports, the suspects have fled. The attack comprised between 300 and 400 persons. They’d poured bricks from their rooftops. They have shattered the glass in their own home in order to bring this action against us. They also removed the AC wires, etc. Around 70 of our men had arrived to assist in the rescue. However, the number of these persons (attackers) was steadily growing. They came from all around, including Noida, Kaila Bhatta, Islam Nagar, and Dasna. There were also other ladies who claimed to have been molested. They threatened to file a bogus rape accusation against us. At the time, the police had them removed from the area. During this time, the opposition also called the Samajwadi Party’s Noida District President. The automobile of the SP district president was spotted there.”
“These (accused persons) stand under the underpass at night,” Vishal says. “They steal people’s phones and money. Someone informed me that one of them is a young man named Salman or Salim. He asked a Hindu girl to marry him. When the girl refused, he broke into her home and severed the girl’s vein. The girl’s relatives did not file a complaint because they were afraid. We are disseminating this information. At the same time, we are looking into the offenses they committed. We’ll keep everything in plain sight of the cops. We’ve urged the cops to beef up security. If someone can come in the middle of the night to bully, why can’t he walk upstairs to kill? At least till the injured is in the hospital, the security should be kept strong. There were 2 policemen deployed in the night, but there is no security as of now.” he added.
Accused Aman alias Chuchi has made a video with weapons on Owaisi’s 15-minute statement
A video posted on Twitter by a user with the handle According to Jatin Raj, depicts Aman alias Chuchi, the culprit in the incident. In this video, a young man is shown holding a firearm. The voice of Akbaruddin Owaisi’s 15-minute address is echoing in the background. In this video, Jatin Raj has also tagged Noida Police.
OpIndia team reached the spot from the hospital
After visiting the victims, family, and friends of the injured at the hospital, the OpIndia crew traveled to the site of the incident. This location is on NH 24 after crossing the Hindon River on the way from Noida to Hapur. We arrived at the location after descending the underpass and walked through the underpass wall on the right side. On the route, there is a rutted mud road. The main market is around 300 meters away from the event scene, and a half-dozen police officers were spotted stationed there. Other police station personnel were also spotted arriving in cars on the scene.
We arrived at the location where the entire event occurred after walking through the busy market for around 300 meters from where the police force was deployed. A diverse populace, as well as shops, could be seen at the market. This route is known as the 25 futa road. There was no police presence in the street where the event occurred. Neighbors said that the cops were still showing up from time to time. Any local declined to speak about the event in front of the camera.
Life was normal on 25 Futa Road. Shops were open and people were busy with their daily activities. However, there was silence in the street where the incident took place. Only a few people were seen there.
OpIndia spoke to the local SHO in this matter
Inspector Dharmendra Kumar Shukla, in charge of Sector 63 Police Station, spoke with OpIndia. “So far, six arrests have been made in this case,” added the inspector. ” A minor is also among the offenders. I’m now putting together the paperwork to present the accused in court. I’ll be able to provide the remainder of the action information later this evening.” he added.