Court refuses bail to 3 for assaulting elderly Muslim man over suspicion of carrying beef
A Mumbai court denied bail to three men accused of assaulting a 72-year-old Muslim man on a train, suspecting him of carrying beef.
MUMBAI: The Kalyan sessions court on Saturday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of three persons booked for thrashing a 72-year-old Muslim man on a train over their suspicion of him carrying beef.
The three accused, Akash Avhad, 30, Nitish Ahire, 30 and Jayesh Mohite, 21, were booked by the Government Railway Police Thane. Initially granted bail by the magistrate court, the GRP subsequently added sections 302 (uttering words with deliberate intent to hurt religious feelings) and 311 (robbery or dacoity with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, following which their bail was cancelled.
The trio had then moved to the sessions court seeking anticipatory bail. On Friday, the court also rejected the bail plea of Suresh Jadhav, 19, the fourth accused arrested in the case.
Advocate Abid Abbas Sayyed appearing for the victim Haji Ashraf Ali Sayyed, a resident of Chalisgaon in Jalgaon district said, “The police took the matter more seriously after the video went viral on social media and people started talking about it. There are around eight to nine accused in the case out of which the Thane GRP police have identified five individuals.”
He added that the order on the bail plea of the fifth accused Devendra Sonawane would come on October 9. “We are also planning to move a petition before the high court to transfer the investigation to the crime branch”, he added.
The incident occurred on August 28, when the 72-year-old was assaulted, abused and threatened by the mob over the suspicion of carrying beef while travelling in the Dhule-CSMT Express on his way to his daughter’s home in Kalyan.
Videos of the incident, shot by co-passengers, went viral on social media after which the GRP took note of the matter and undertook a search for the elderly man. An assistant police inspector from the Thane GRP eventually found Hussain at his daughter’s home in Bhiwandi and recorded his statement. A case was then registered at the Thane railway police station against the group of men based on his statement.
In the video that went viral, the group of young men, who were on their way for a police recruitment exam, could be seen questioning Hussain about the two containers of meat that he was carrying, after which they could be seen kicking and slapping him. They also allegedly threatened to take him to the police station.