A disturbing incident in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, has sparked public outrage after a video emerged showing a Class IX student being allegedly assaulted and humiliated by a group of Hindutva activists. As reported by Maktoob Media, the 15-year-old Muslim boy, identified as Burhan, was returning home from school on April 28 when he was confronted near Rasoolganj.
The group, which had reportedly declared a bandh in the city in protest of the recent Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir, allegedly accused Burhan of tampering with a Pakistani flag that had been pasted on the road.
The exact reason for targeting Burhan remains unclear with conflicting accounts; some state that his friend removed the flag, while Burhan himself said, “I picked it up... and they targeted me.”
The widely circulated video shows the teenager being dragged by the collar, made to chant patriotic slogans like “Hindustan Zindabad” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai”, and allegedly forced to urinate on the flag. He is seen folding his hands, pleading with the attackers to let him go. Shockingly, police personnel can be seen in the background, but do not intervene.
Burhan is the son of a daily-wage worker, according to Maktoob Media. The incident has prompted local police to announce a probe, amid mounting concerns over rising communal tensions following the Pahalgam attack that left 26 people dead.
This is not an isolated case. In another recent incident in Agra, 25-year-old Mohammad Ghulfam, a biryani vendor, was shot dead by self-styled cow vigilantes, allegedly in retaliation for the Pahalgam violence.
As reports of hate crimes surface with increasing frequency, questions continue to mount about the state’s response and the safety of minority communities.
