Uttarakhand: Cong slams 'environment of hate' after assault on man offering namaz

The Congress on Wednesday reacted with outrage to the alleged assault of a Muslim daily-wage worker in Uttarakhand’s Rudrapur, saying the incident reflects a dangerous normalisation of hate under the Narendra Modi government.

According to police, a man identified as Shahid was attacked after offering namaz on a vacant plot in front of the Atriya temple in Jagatpura during the holy month of Ramzan. A video circulating on social media purportedly shows the man being beaten with sticks, abused and forced to chant 'jai Shri Ram'.

Shahid, a resident of Resham Bari, said he had been working near the temple for several days and maintained that the spot where he prayed was some distance away from the temple premises.

Congress general-secretary Syed Naseer Hussain said the assault was “not an isolated aberration” but the result of what he described as a “vile and hateful ideology” fostered by the BJP-RSS ecosystem.

“In Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, a daily-wage worker, Shahid, was reportedly assaulted while offering namaz in an open field. He was pushed to the ground, abused, beaten with a stick and coerced to chant ‘jai Shri Ram’,” Hussain said.

He called the episode a grave attack on the constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and equality before the law, urging the BJP government in Uttarakhand to act decisively against those responsible. “The constitutional rights and dignity of every Indian must be protected, irrespective of religion, without fear or favour,” he said.

Congress’ media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said the steady stream of such incidents was deeply disturbing. “Every day you see these videos, every day you read such news reports. It is painful to see that a person belonging to the Muslim community, who is fasting, wants to offer his namaz in a field, not disturbing anyone, the way he was kicked,” he said.

Referring to a recent incident in Uttar Pradesh where three Muslims were allegedly beaten after a minor altercation, Khera asked what kind of environment the government had created.

He also cited an episode in Rajasthan where a BJP MP allegedly took back blankets from women after discovering some of them were Muslim. “I am proud that the Hindu community got together and returned all the blankets to the shameless BJP MP,” Khera said, adding that the Indian Youth Congress later distributed blankets without discrimination.

“Shame on the BJP, this government and the RSS. The country is bigger than them; they will be consigned to the garbage in history,” he said.

Khera accused the ruling establishment of fostering insecurity and division. “We are ashamed of the atmosphere of hatred that Modi has created in this country. It is an ancient civilisation, we cannot get insecure about anyone. Can our ancient civilisation be insecure by a Muslim offering namaz?” he asked.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore said the assault was the inevitable outcome of what he described as a growing “nafrat ka bazaar (marketplace of hate)”.

“When hate is normalised, mobs feel empowered. When silence comes from those in power, the vulnerable suffer. No Indian should be assaulted for practising their faith,” he said, calling the episode a “national shame”.

“Silence is not leadership. When citizens are attacked for their religion, it is the Constitution of India that is under assault. Justice must be delivered, swiftly and firmly,” Tagore added.

Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed termed the attack a direct consequence of what she described as the demonisation of Muslims, demanding the immediate arrest of those involved.

Members of the Muslim community accompanied Shahid to the local police station to file a complaint. They alleged that one of the accused is a murder convict currently out on parole.

Temple manager Arvind Sharma, however, said activities linked to other religions would not be permitted on temple land, even if legal action were taken against him.

Police said they reached the spot and appealed to both communities to maintain peace as the investigation proceeds.

With PTI inputs