• Ashraf Ali Sayyad Hussain was physically and verbally assaulted by a large group of Hindutva suspecting he was carrying meat to take to his daughter.
• The 70-year-old who was alone on the train has asked for calm despite sustaining injuries, while only threesuspects caught are now out on bail.
A video recently appeared online of an elderly man being beaten and verbally assaulted in a vicious Islamophobic attack by a large mob of supposed Hindutva men less than half his age.
The video which has since gone viral shows Ashraf Ali Sayyad Hussain travelling alone on a train in Maharashtra, India on his way to see his daughter in Kalyan to present her with some supposed uncooked meat contained in plastic jars.
The 72-year-old had reached his destination and was in the middle of alighting the train with his goods and possessions before he was suddenly grabbed by a group of 10-12 men who boarded the train and prevented Mr Sayyad Hussain from leaving the train.
Some of the assailants were already known to the victim owing to a previous altercation over seats where Mr Sayyad Hussain had found a seat to sit in after feeling exhausted from standing for so long, but his attackers did not want him to sit and wanted to save the seat for a friend.
Following his detainment the group began physically attacking him, tearing his clothing and allegedly stealing his money in the process, so he did not have the means to get back.
An interrogation then ensued over what he was carrying in his jars by his attackers. He responded that he was carrying lamb meat. The mob were unsatisfied with the answer given and began coaching him repeatedly on what he should say about what was in the jars.
They went on to say that should he comply then no harm will come to him at which point they began brandishing a knife before filming him with their phones.
As the situation became more aggressive and violent through his non-compliance, Mr Sayyad Hussain was subjected to even more physical assault and a verbal tirade in the form of slaps, punches and kicks with insults and threats of rape and murder to the female members of his family.
Eventually, the train arrived at another station, by which time the victim had been severely battered and bruised. He was, however, able enough to alight from the train with his attackers closely following behind.
He then noticed a police station close by after trying to get away from the mob and made his way there, despite them threatening to hurt him after realising where he was heading.
Mr Sayyad Hussain arrived at the station collapsing from exhaustion and tried to lodge a complaint explaining what had happened to him, but incredibly the police at the time suggested he “let the matter go as they were young and foolish kids.”
When the video capturing the incident surfaced on social media, it prompted the Government Railway Police (GRP) to initiate an investigation. The Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister apologised for the incident, and the Chief Minister ordered legal action against those responsible.
Unbeknownst to Mr Sayyad Hussain his victimisation was uploaded to social media. He became embarrassed and hurt by the actions of the mob and it was for only this reason that he bravely decided to pursue his victimisation and lodged a complaint with the police to begin legal action.
This incident is not an isolated case, as similar attacks and murders have been reported in the recent past, often targeting Muslim individuals over allegations of carrying beef.
Such incidents raise concerns about the erosion of any democratic values left in the country under Prime Minister Modi’s extremist rule and the dehumanisation of marginalised communities in India.
Hindutva mobs have typically shown their violence to be highly prejudicial, as no such actions have taken place against people of their own religion, especially when they carry out barbaric torture on animals like biting into the face of live goats or raping livestock.
Mr Sayyad Hussain had been left with cuts and bruises on his face and body owing to his attackers not showing any tolerance towards him over the meat he was carrying, as animals are supposedly considered sacred in Hinduism (seemingly not with this current regime).
Since the incident, the 72-year-old’s condition has worsened with vision loss, intense chest pains, blood in his urine resulting from being kicked in the groin, and inability to talk for long periods.
Despite his condition, Mr Sayyad Hussain stated that he “believes in the Indian justice system”, and wants to ensure that:
“Whatever happened with me, no other brother should face [and] I will certainly get justice”.
Though there was open scepticism between the media who were present and the victim’s supporters on their apparent lack of belief in the system, there was a sense of buoyancy and unity when one person from the background called out “InshAllah”, spurring all present to echo out the same words.
Following his selfless statement, the physician in charge of Mr Sayyad Hussain’s care stated:
“What happened to him was not right, and this disgusting and reprehensible act has left him with considerable internal injuries, leaving him in pain and unable to speak.”
Mr Sayyad Hussain is now required to stay in the hospital for extensive treatments, having already been assessed for visual and neurological signs of trauma and is awaiting urological and cardiac assessments.
Due to the level of coverage the assault video has received online, and the already volatile tensions between Muslims and Hindutva extremists, Deputy Commissioner Manoj Nana Patil confirmed that the incident led to an FIR being filed at the victim’s residence, with the process recorded on video. Such is the lack of trust between the public and the authorities operating under Modi.
Of his attackers, so far only three had been apprehended out of possibly 12 or more suspects, but have subsequently been released on bail, despite the danger to society and the threat they could cause to Mr Sayyad Hussain’s family, the Thane Central Railway Authorities have said:
“The accused face charges related to threats and preventing passengers from deboarding. The investigation into the matter is ongoing.”
