Cab driver beaten, abused and forced to chant 'Jai Shri Ram' in Thane; police arrest three accused

A 25-year-old Muslim cab driver was allegedly beaten, abused and forced to chant Jai Shri Ram in Diva area of Thane near Mumbai. The three accused, residents of Agasan village in Diva, were arrested under IPC sections 295 (hurting religious sentiments) and 392 (robbery) by cops attached to the Mumbra police station in Thane district on Tuesday and have been remanded in police custody. According to the complainant, Faizal Usman Khan, who works as a driver for a cab aggregator company since December, 2018, took some passengers to Diva town in the district on Saturday night, The Hindustan Times reported. [caption id=“attachment_4922981” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] Faizal told police that while returning, he got into a quarrel with four or five men, who were in an inebriated state, and they beat him up. When the accused realised that he was a Muslim, they asked him to say Jai Shri Ram. The Indian Express quoted Faizal as saying, “I switched on the parking lights and was trying to restart the car when three men on a scooter came from behind and started banging the windows,” Faizal recounted, adding, “They were reeking of alcohol and wanted to know why I had stopped my vehicle in the middle of the road.” Faizal claimed that his car keys were taken away and even one of the passengers was abused in the incident. “They also started abusing me for my religion and said that if I chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ loudly, they will let me go,” Faizal said, according to The Indian Express. He also claimed that his mobile phone was forcibly taken away and the perpetrators fled the spot soon after a passenger called the police. According to a senior officer from Thane police, “The victim had noted down the registration number of the bike, which helped us trace the accused. The bike belonged to Jaideep Mundhe (26), who was riding it that day. We also arrested Mangesh Mundhe (30) and Anil Suryawanshi (22). All of them are residents of Agasan village. The accused don’t have any previous cases against them.” The incident occurred days after the death of Tabrez Ansari, a youth in Jharkhand , who was allegedly beaten to death by a mob. Ansari was allegedly forced to chant Jai Shri Ram and Jai Hanuman in Jharkhand’s Saraikela Kharsawan district.