A 19-year-old student from Meerut's Industrial Training Institute (ITI) was reportedly kidnapped, beaten, and forced to chant religious slogans while returning home from shooting practice in the Modipuram area, the police said on Sunday, November 24.
As per an Economic Times report, the police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) in the case. However, senior officers have stated that the allegations are "unverified" and suggested that an internal dispute might be behind the incident.
Details on the assault
Gulfam Saifi's father, Aftab Aalam Saifi, told the Times Of India that Gulfam was riding his bike home after practising for a national-level shooting championship on Saturday evening, November 23.
He further said that as Gulam approached Jail Chungi Chowk, near a police outpost, he was stopped by a group of men on bikes who asked for his name. Upon learning he was Muslim, they pointed a gun at his head and demanded he follow them to a remote location.
He said, "They took my son to a non-operational swimming pool area and forced him to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram' before stripping him of his clothes and thrashing him until he lost consciousness, before fleeing with his belongings. After a while, he regained consciousness, managed to drive his bike home, and fell unconscious again soon after entering the house."
According to the Times of India report Gulfam was taken to the hospital, but was not admitted as the case was sensitive. Later, he was brought to the Civil Lines police station where the incident took place, and with the police's help, his treatment began.
The report further stated that Gulfam is out of danger, but is "traumatised and anxious, and has been encountering fits whenever he gains consciousness."
