Rudrapur (Uttarakhand) (PTI): An elderly Muslim man was allegedly assaulted by some people and forced to chant religious slogans after he offered namaz on a vacant land in front of a temple here, police said on Tuesday.

A video of the incident is doing the rounds on social media. In the video, the accused are seen thrashing the man with sticks and hurling abuses at him.

The man, Shahid, a resident of the Resham Bari area, offered namaz during the ongoing month of Ramzan in front of the Atriya Temple in Jagatpura.

Shahid said he has been working near the temple for several days and claimed that the land where he offered namaz is quite far from the temple.

After learning about the incident, members of the Muslim community accompanied Shahid to the local police station and filed a complaint.

They claimed that one of the accused has been convicted in a murder case and currently out on parole.

Temple manager Arvind Sharma said activities associated with any other religion will not be tolerated on the temple land, even if a case is filed against him.

Police reached the spot and appealed to both communities to maintain peace.

Shahid is undergoing a medical examination. Further legal action will be taken based on the complaint, police said.

Municipal Councillor Parvez Qureshi termed the incident unacceptable.

"This matter is extremely serious. Assaulting a person is unacceptable. If anyone had any objection (to namaz being offered), the administration should have been informed. We demand an impartial investigation and strict action against the culprits to avoid a repeat of such incidents in the future," he said.

Congress leader Sofia Naz said the incident is detrimental to social harmony.

"Maintaining law and order in the state is the responsibility of the state government. Violence and forced chanting of slogans in the name of religion are against the spirit of the Constitution. The administration should take immediate action and provide justice to the victim," Naz said.

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Mangaluru: Kadaba police rescued 20 cattle that were being allegedly transported in an unlawful manner and registered a case against three individuals in connection with the incident, Deccan Herald reported.

Acting on a tip-off in the early hours, a team led by Police Sub-Inspector Jamburaj Mahajan intercepted a container lorry near Kanvare in Noojibalthila village. The vehicle was reportedly travelling from Periyashanthi towards Mardhala.

During inspection, police allegedly found the cattle tightly packed inside the container under poor conditions. The driver was identified as Irfan (26), a resident of Belur in Hassan district. During questioning, he failed to produce any valid permit for transporting the cattle and admitted that the animals were being transported from Hassan to Kerala.

Police seized the vehicle along with the cattle.

A case has been registered at Kadaba Police Station under Sections 4, 7, and 12 of the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020, and Sections 4 and 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

Further investigation is underway.