Two Hindu men, named Naveen and Hrithik, were thrashed by a Muslim mob near a mosque in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. The former worked as a Zomato delivery boy who had gone to fulfil a food delivery order along with his friend on the evening of 9 August, when a crowd of 30 to 40 people thrashed him and left them bleeding.
The incident pertained to the Shyam Nagar area of the Lisari Gate police station area of Meerut. According to the victims, the reason behind the unwarranted assault was the rudraksha beads around the neck. They were first asked their names and then attacked by the mob.
Naveen stated that he had to deliver food in the neighbourhood, but didn’t know the route. He had brought the other man along for that reason. When they reached close to Hari Masjid, they saw a throng. He went a little further and tried to inquire about the delivery address.
मेरठ
— भारत समाचार | Bharat Samachar (@bstvlive) August 9, 2023
➡️मस्जिद के बाहर जोमेटो बॉय की बुरी तरह पिटाई
➡️आईकार्ड दिखाने पर भी भीड़ ने नहीं दिखाई दया
➡️दोस्त के साथ फूड डिलीवर करने गया था नवीन
➡️नवीन बंसल को जासूस बताकर भीड़ ने पीट दिया
➡️मस्जिद से निकले लोगों ने की पिटाई की शुरूआत
➡️नवीन बंसल पर मस्जिद की फोटो खींचने का आरोप… pic.twitter.com/wyslALUoaO
Meanwhile, the persons standing near the mosque approached the two and asked them about their names and addresses. They were surrounded by the mob and made to sit on the ground.
Naveen mentioned that he told them with folded hands that he was a delivery boy and had come to drop an order but to no avail. He repeatedly showed them his identity card but they didn’t pay any heed to it.
Furthermore, they broke the holy beads donned by Hrithik while having a conversation with both of them and began beating the duo. He was bleeding profusely as a result of it. The police arrived at the scene after learning about the situation and they were then taken to a nearby hospital.
The locals, on the other hand, alleged that four youths arrived on two bikes and were filming the mosque. People interrupted them and they started abusing in retaliation after which a physical altercation ensued.
@Uppolice @NisithPramanik @OfficeofARM @JPNadda @myogioffice @CMOfficeUP @PMOIndia https://t.co/vCnExJ9xoI
— Lee Merick (@Lee_Merick) August 10, 2023
Naveen informed the police, “I went to Hari Masjid Wali Gali with a friend. About 40 people had already gathered there. We continued to move after spotting them. However, they started following us. They stopped me after travelling a little distance and questioned why I was roaming there and told me to hand over my mobile so that they could go through the device.”
He further added, “I don’t know who those individuals were. However, all of them came from the mosque. They started assaulting us and didn’t listen to what we were saying. They also destroyed my friend’s rudraksha rosary.”
The police opened an investigation and filed a case against the accused based on the accusation of the victims. The arrest of a youth has been confirmed as of now. Lisari Gate police station in-charge Sanjay Verma revealed that two boys had gone to deliver a Zomato order and had a fight due to some misunderstanding. He assured that strict action would be taken against the perpetrators.
Circle Officer Amit Rai remarked that the fight had definitely happened in the Shyam Nagar area and the exact reason behind it is being probed in detail. He reiterated that the guilty would be punished.
