India: 5 charged over beating Muslims

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI, India (AA) - A group of five Hindu men has been arrested in central India for allegedly beating three Muslims for carrying beef.

Police in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh made the arrest over the incident in the town of Seoni, Lalit Shakyar, the local police superintendent, told Anadolu Agency.

In a video of the incident that went viral on Friday night, two men and a woman are seen being tied to a tree and beaten with a stick one by one. They are also forced to chant “Hail lord Rama.”

According to the police, the Hindu group got a tip that two young Muslim men and a woman were traveling in a car and carrying beef.

One of the accused, Shubham Baghel, is the leader of Ram Sena, a right-wing Hindu group.

Baghel has been involved in similar cases, and photos have been circulated of him alongside newly elected lawmaker Pragya Thakur, accused of involvement in the 2008 Malegaon bombing.

Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah, former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, along with Asaduddin Owaisi, head of the Muslim-rooted All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), condemned the assault.

"This is how Muslims are treated by vigilantes created by Modi voters. Welcome to a New India,” tweeted Asaduddin Owaisi, referring to this month’s landslide general election win by the party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mehbooba Mufti said she was horrified by the incident and hoped that the office of Chief Minister Kamal Nath takes swift action.