MP: Juvenile held after Muslim minors beaten, forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’; One absconding
Ratlam: Madhya Pradesh police have reportedly arrested a 17-year-old boy for allegedly assaulting three Muslim minors and forcing them to chant Jai Shri Ram, a purported video claiming to be of the incident is doing rounds on social media.
An FIR was lodged at the Manak Police station in Ratlam district here against two minor suspects under BNS sections 296, 115(2), 126(2), 351(2), 196, and 3(5) after the video went viral, while one was arrested another is on the run.
According to a report by Newslaundry, Surendra Singh Garadiya, SHO of Manak police station has stated that the accused who leaked the video is absconding, and confirmed the arrest of one minor. The offer said, “We have produced him in a juvenile court and sent him to a remand home. Our team is searching for the other accused and we will arrest him soon.”
The three victims, aged seven, 11, and 13, are students of classes 2, 5, and 6, respectively. According to the 13-year-old complainant, the assault occurred over a month ago near Amrit Sagar Talab. He recounted in his police statement:
“I, along with my two friends, went for an outing near Amrit Sagar Talab around one and a half months ago. Two people approached us and asked for our names. Then they began abusing us, assaulting us, and forcing us to chant 'Jai Shri Ram.' They also threatened to kill us if we spoke about the incident,” the 13-year-old minor said in the complaint to the police.
Imran Khokhar, an activist assisting the victims’ families, stated that the children had kept the incident secret out of fear until the video was leaked by one of the suspects, reportedly while he was intoxicated.
“The victims were terrified, but once the video came out, we helped them approach the police,” said Khokhar.
One of the victims, a six-year-old orphan living with his grandmother and aunt, locked himself in a room upon learning of the video's leak. “He was so traumatized that we had to involve the police to get him out,” Khokhar added.
Speaking to the Newslaundry, the father of the 13-year-old complainant revealed how his son’s behavior had drastically changed since the incident. “He avoided school and stopped playing outside. At the time, I didn’t understand why, but seeing the video was deeply disturbing,” he said, demanding strict punishment for the perpetrators.
Another victim’s father expressed his concern about the rising hatred in society, lamenting how even children are not spared from such toxic behavior. “I asked my son why he hadn’t told anyone about it. He seemed to be behaving normally, but perhaps he was too scared to speak up. The atmosphere in our country has become so toxic that even young children are falling victim to hatred, ” he added.
"Not Allah, Say Jai Shri Ram"
— Taj INDIA (@taj_india007) December 6, 2024
As per #viralvideo
3 minor Muslim children playing at Amrit Sagar Garden in Ratlam, #MadhyaPradesh were brutally beaten and forced to chant Jai Shri Ram
And we are worried about the minority of #BangladeshiHindus ❓#ARRESTED#Bangladesh #Pushpa2 pic.twitter.com/Bezkwovvui
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Woman, 2 sons found dead in Delhi home; suicide suspected
New Delhi (PTI): Three members of a family were found dead inside their home in southeast Delhi's Kalkaji on Friday, with police suspecting it to be a case of suicide, officials said.
Police said the incident came to light around 2.47 pm when a police team reached the premises to execute a court order related to possession of the property. When repeated knocks went unanswered, the staff used a duplicate key to open the door.
Inside, officers found Anuradha Kapoor (52) and her sons, Ashish Kapoor (32) and Chaitanya Kapoor (27), hanging from the ceiling, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said in a statement. All three were declared dead.
A handwritten note was recovered from the room, suggesting the family had been struggling with depression.
"The handwritten note indicates emotional distress faced by the family due to which the family may have taken the extreme step," the officer said.
The bodies have been shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) mortuary for post-mortem and other legal formalities under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), police said.
Residents of the neighbourhood said they were shocked to learn about the deaths, adding that the family kept largely to themselves.
Pankaj Kashyap, a resident of Girinagar, said he learnt about the deaths while leaving for work. "I live and work here and was leaving for work when I saw many people standing outside and talking. That is how I got to know that three people had committed suicide. I also saw several police vehicles outside, but I do not know much beyond that," he said.
Baldev, another neighbour, said the family had been living in the newly constructed house for around two years. "We only knew that a mother and her two children lived there. They had moved into the newly built house around two years ago. We did not interact much with them. Today we heard that all three have committed suicide, and whatever we know is based on what people here are saying," he said.
Another neighbour, Ramesh Kumar, claimed the family had earlier attempted suicide.
"About fifteen to twenty days ago, the two sons in the family had attempted suicide and police and ambulances had come. That was when I first got to know who they were. I do not recognise them by face, but we saw the ambulances and police take the two sons that day. Today again we saw ambulances and police arriving, so everyone came out to see what had happened. I do not know how long they had been living here, but this is all we know," he said.
Police said they are examining the family's financial condition, social circumstances, and other factors that may have contributed to the incident. Further investigation is underway.
