AGRA: An imam at a village mosque in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh district was allegedly thrashed and was asked to go to Pakistan for refusing to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’. The incident happened at Bulakgarhi village under Lodha police station on Sept 20 when Mohammed Mustakeem was returning home after taking Urdu classes for local kids. As police have not filed a case in the matter even after receiving a complaint, president of Aligarh unit of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, Sayyed Abdullah, said the cops were trying to hush up the case. Abdullah told TOI, “Imam Mustakeem suffered injuries and is in hospital. The police are trying to brush the incident under the carpet. We are planning to meet the SSP to ensure that an FIR is filed in connection with the case.”Aligarh superintendent of police (SP) (City) Mrigank Shekhar Pathak said police immediately responded to the situation, and senior officials conducted an on-site inspection. “Upon investigation, the matter appeared to be a case of simple assault. There is no religious angle. Nobody forced the imam to chant religious slogans. Legal proceedings are being followed in this matter. Statements from both parties have been recorded. There is peace and harmony at the village,” Pathak said.“Some boys had been bothering me for the past few days. They stopped me on Saturday when I was returning home on my bicycle and told me to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’. When I refused, they took out sticks and beat me, and also asked me to go to Pakistan,” the imam told reporters.“I have lodged a police complaint soon after the assault on me, but an FIR is yet to be registered in the matter,” said imam Mustakeem.
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