On 10th May a shocking incident came to light from the Mandvi area of Kutch, Gujarat where a Muslim youth, Alimamad Ilyas Shiroo living in Merau village was brutally assaulted for reportedly inducting his acquaintances into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In this incident, the Mandvi police registered a case under sections 365, 341, 323, 506 (2), and 120(b) of the IPC against the accused Akbarsha Abdulsha Syed, Hakimsha Kadarsha Syed, Jainulsha Kasamsha Syed and Aliasgar Ibrahimsha Syed.
The accused abducted Alimamad Ilyas and after tying him up they brutally beat the victim to such an extent that he suffered internal injuries.
OpIndia reached out to the victim, and during the conversation, Alimamad explained in detail what transpired before and after he was assaulted by the miscreants.
Alimamad Ilyas is currently in Bhuj and undergoing treatment at a government hospital there. According to him, due to excessive beating, his kidneys have been severely affected. The condition is serious, and the hospital doctors have also said that the treatment will take a long time. Talking about his health, he says that even after many days of treatment, there has only been a twenty percent improvement because he was severely beaten. He added, ‘I am in a lot of pain right now’.
‘I am a Muslim, but I believe in all religions, so they threatened me’
Narrating the entire incident, Alimamad told OpIndia, “I live in Merau (Kutch) and earn my livelihood by working as a labourer. I have one daughter. This whole incident started before the elections. I am a Muslim, but I have feelings for all religions. I especially have faith in Hinduism. I also go to listen to any katha or other religious programs in our village or the surrounding areas. It was this nature of mine that shocked those people (accused). I am a Muslim, but the people who assaulted me always told me that I had converted (religious conversion). Those people also threatened us many times, but I did not pay attention to it. Then Hakimsha Ibrahimsha Syed threatened to kill me and my daughter, so I filed a complaint at that time.”
The whole incident unfolded because I support the BJP
Alimamad Ilyas added, “I also support the Bharatiya Janata Party. Our country is a democracy, and anyone can believe in any religion and support any party, and that is my right. I have a friend in the neighbouring village of Shirwa, and after being influenced by my ideas, he also supported the BJP, which came as a shock to the accused: Akbarsha Abdulsha Syed, Hakimsha Kadarsha Syed, Jainulsha Kasamsha Syed, and Aliasgar Ibrahimsha Syed.”
He further said, “Amidst all this, there was a meeting of our local BJP MLA and he welcomed my friend in front of everyone. Those people (the accused party) support Congress, so we were on their watch. My friend told me that the accused were harassing him and I asked him to take the help of the police. But in the meantime, the accused abused my friend and had a fight with him.”
Picked me up from the road and brutally assaulted me: Alimamad
He further says, “When I was coming to Merau, Akbarsha Abdulsha Syed, Hakimsha Kadarsha Syed, Jainulsha Kasamsha Syed, and Aliasgar Ibrahimsha Syed came in a red car and hit my bike and knocked me down. Before I could even realize anything, they picked me up and threw me into the car. They then took me to the office that Kadarshah had illegally built on government land allocated for cattle rearing in Shirwa. There, they tied my hands and feet and gagged me. Then they brutally assaulted me for almost two-and-a-half to three hours.”
I am afraid that these people will kill me: Alimamad
Speaking with OpIndia, he said, “After beating me, those people threatened me that if I filed a police complaint, they would kill me as soon as they got out of jail. I have been beaten to such an extent that I cannot even urinate properly after the attack. I have been beaten so severely on my buttocks, back, and legs that my entire skin has turned black. After brutally assaulting me, they threw me back to the place from where they picked me up. I was unconscious and I felt like I would not be alive. As soon as I regained consciousness, I called 108 and reached Mandvi Government Hospital for treatment. After the Police arrived, I filed a complaint against the accused.”
He further says, “Due to excessive beating, I was initially transferred to a private hospital and later to a general hospital in Bhuj. My kidney has been seriously affected. I don’t know how many more days I will be admitted here.” Meanwhile, he also told OpIndia that he was under threat and that the accused would kill him as soon as he came out of the hospital.
Grateful to Hindu Society and Organisations for help
Alimamad told OpIndia, “The accused are so headstrong that the people of my community are not even helping me out of fear of them. All the accused are involved in illegal business. Because of them, not a single Muslim came to help me. Whatever treatment I am currently undergoing and whatever help I am receiving is from Hindu organisations, including Vishwa Hindu Parishad and their workers. I am thankful to the Hindu society and organisations for this. My demand to the administration is that strict action should be taken against the accused who mercilessly assaulted me, and it should be fast-tracked.”
It is pertinent to note that during the interaction, Alimamad also told OpIndia that he had once gone to a meeting of Kajal Hindustani and the accused were also aware of that.
An FIR has been registered in the entire matter, but till the report was published, the accused are yet to be arrested. OpIndia also tried to contact the Mandvi police to get more information, but no contact could be established. The report will be updated when a response is received or contact is made.