On Friday, a Hindu person identified as Mahesh Mukund Shahane was brutally beaten and assaulted by three persons from ‘specific community’ during some Islamic celebration in the city of Shrirampur, in Ahmednagar of Maharashtra. The accused persons have been identified as Samir Pathan, Shoaib Qureshi and Javed Shah who happened to assault the victim for merely being associated with a local Hindu organization. The three have been booked under sections 307, 34 and 341 of the Indian Penal Code.
The incident is said to have happened on May 16, but it came to the fore on May 18 after the Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) tweeted about it. LRO said in the tweet that Mahesh was brutally beaten during the Urs celebration in the city.
Mahesh had been issued death threats in the past for making Hindu reels on social media
According to the sources, Mahesh is associated with a local Hindu organization and is active in exposing anti-Islamic activities ongoing in the city. He also has exposed several Love Jihaad cases in the city. Moreover, he also is active on social media and is known for making pro-Hindu reels.
Sources told OpIndia that Mahesh was on long target of the accused men who had in the past issued death threats to Mahesh for making Hindu reels and disseminating them on social media. On May 16, the accused men were in large numbers as they were celebrating Urs and it is then that they found Mahesh alone. “They trapped him and tried to kill him. He would have lost his life had he not called his friend for help that day,” sources said.
As per the FIR copy obtained by OpIndia, the victim was taken to an open ground close to the railway lines and was brutally beaten by sticks and a sharp weapon. The victim has been admitted and is being treated at a general ward at Sakhar Kamgar Hospital, Shrirampur. The victim mentioned in the complaint that he was unnecessarily beaten by the accused and that he was hit in his head with the intention to kill.
“It was my friend’s birthday that day. I was on my way home and was riding on a bike after the celebrtions at around 10 pm. On reaching the Sayyed Baba area, I saw some Muslim people were dancing and celebrting the Urs. It is then when Samir Pathan saw me and stopped me. He asked me to park my bike on the roadside and said that he wanted to talk to me. Then he took me away from the noise, near the railway lines where his associates Shoaib Qureshi and Javed Shah also arrived. The three then began to thrash me,” Mahesh said in the FIR.
He also mentioned that he was not told or asked anything and was beaten brutally without any reason. “They hit me on my head with intention to kill me. I got scared and called one of my friends for help. I was then rescued and taken to the hospital,” he said.
Mahesh in hospital says he is still clueless about his fault
Mahesh talked to OpIndia and confirmed that he knows all the accused superficially so he stopped when Pathan interrupted him on his way to home. “They didn’t tell me any reason and just kept on beating me that night. I still don’t know what my fault is,” Mahesh said who is still admitted at the hospital. On asking about his health, he said that he has attained severe injury and has been advised by the doctors to stay at the hospital for 3 more days.
Meanwhile his friend who rescued him from the accused on the might of May 16 stated to OpIndia that Mahesh is not at fault. “We know them just by their names, superficially. We are still clueless why was Mahesh targeted,” he said. Further on asking about the police action, he said that the police has not yet arrested any of the accused mentioned in the FIR.
Accused booked under IPC sections, but arrest remains awaited
While Mahesh failed to mention the reason in the FIR for being targeted, it has been confirmed to OpIndia by sources that he was beaten by the accused persons for merely being associated to Hindu organization. He had also been issued death threats by the accused in the past.
Team OpIndia contacted Shrirampur Police Station and also API Vitthal Patil who is investigating the case under the instructions of PI Harshvardhan Gavli, but none of them provided the required information terming it as a ‘sensitive case’. While the accused persons have been booked under section 307, 34 and 341 of the IPC, their arrest yet remains awaited. Further probe is underway.
This report will be updated once we hear from investigating officer API Vitthal Patil of Shrirampur Police Station.