On 17th January, a Muslim man and his son threatened to blow up two young people named Neil Patel and Dev Patel who were going to Ayodhya on their bicycles from Gujarat. When they reached the Sarangpur area of the Rajgarh district in Madhya Pradesh, an elderly man inquired about their destination. They replied that they were heading to the Ram Mandir. Hearing this, the man Asghar Khan threatened them that they would be bombed and wouldn’t be able to reach Ayodhya.
The victims were on their way to attend the Pran Pratishta (consecration ceremony) of Lord Ram in Ayodhya which is scheduled to take place on 22nd January when they experienced the shocking assault in Sarangpur on Wednesday afternoon. Neil Patel said that Asghar Khan kept asking them about where they were going and everytime they answered Ayodhya. Khan got angry with this and said, “Go, but I am telling that you will not be able to reach there. Will blow up Ram devotees with bomb,” when they informed him about Ayodhya.
Asghar Khan’s son also joined him and they started hurling abuses at the duo and Dev Patel recorded the incident on his camera. Khan and his son also abused Lord Ram and his devotees.
The two youths reported the episode to the activists of the Hindu Jagaran Manch who were waiting a short distance away to greet them. They said that the father-son duo abused them and threatened to kill them for going to Ayodhya to visit the Ram Mandir. After hearing the entire incident, Mukesh Dubey, the district co-convenor of the Hindu Jagran Manch, took them to the Pachore Police Station, where a complaint was filed.
Pachore Police then took them to the Sarangpur Police Station, where a First Information Report was registered by the police based on the complaint. Sarangpur Police in charge Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the FIR was registered at 9 PM on Wednesday. Asghar Khan and his son were then arrested by Sarangpur police on Thursday.
