On Saturday, 7th December, the Nashik Police in Maharashtra booked 5 persons, Mizan Sheikh, Ayaan Sheikh, Aayesh Shah, Sharik Shah, and Fahim Sheikh, for brutally assaulting a Dalit Hindu for sharing an Instagram story commemorating Shaurya Divas (The day when Babri Mosque standing at Ram Janmabhoomi was demolished).
The accused persons pelted stones at the Dalit Hindu and also assaulted him with wooden sticks for sharing a story celebrating Shaurya Divas on social media.
The incident is said to have happened in the Pimpalgaon region of Nashik’s Niphad. Team OpIndia has obtained an FIR copy of the incident. As per the FIR, the victim identified as Nayan (name changed for security reasons) shared a story on his Instagram account celebrating the valour of Hindu activists on 6th December, on the occasion of Shaurya Divas. This irked Mizan Sheikh, who is allegedly a ‘friend’ of the victim. The accused person poked the victim initially and blamed him for practicing alleged ‘casteism’.
Mizan abused the victim and said that what pleasure did the latter get by practicing alleged ‘casteism’. Responding to this, the victim cross-questioned the accused saying that there was no link between casteism and the post that celebrated the Shaurya Divas. Following this, the accused attacked the victim and continued to abuse him.
Hours later, when Nayan was on his way to pick up his sister from school, he was stopped by the accused who by then had called 15-20 of his associates including Ayaan Sheikh, Aayesh Shah, Sharik Shah, and Fahim Sheikh. The accused persons then pelted stones at the victim and beat him with wooden sticks for celebrating the Shaurya Divas.
They assaulted the victim brutally. The victim somehow managed to call his cousin for help who later took him to the hospital. The accused persons, in the meantime, managed to flee from the spot. However, they were booked by the police based on the complaint filed by the father of the victim.
The accused persons have been booked by the police under sections 109, 118(1), 115(2), 352, 351(3), 126(2), 189(2), 191(2), 191(3) and 190 of the Bharatiya Nyay Samhita, 2024 and section 3(2)(va) of the SC/ST Act. No arrests in the case have yet been made. Further probe into the case is underway.
Notably, in India, the date 6th December is celebrated as Shaurya Divas in memory of the Babri structure demolition. The Babri structure was symbolic of brute strength, of how native culture was subjugated, and how the universally adored Lord Ram was insulted by the invaders. It was a dark symbol of tyranny and barbarism. On December 6, the disputed structure in Ayodhya was brought down by various Hindu activists in 1992. While the day is termed the ‘Black Day’ by the Islamist community, the day is marked as Shaurya Divas by others.
