(VIDEO): Hindu saffron extremists force blind Muslim beggar to chant "Jai Shri Ram" slogans
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NEW DELHI- In a shocking incident that ought to torment anyone with an ounce of humanity, two blind beggars were forced to chant *Jai Shri Ram* and *Jai Maa Tara *by a group of men in West Bengal, DNA has reported.
According to a report in *The Indian Express*, the incident occurred in Chitadanga area of Andal in West Bengal’s West Burdwan district. A video of the incident had gone viral and it’s not immediately clear which group is responsible for this sickening incident.
Abul Bashar 67 told The Indian Express: “My only fault was that I am a Muslim and I entered a Hindu-dominated area.” Abul Bashar, and his wife Bedana Bibi 61 said they were assaulted on Tuesday. This is the day after communal clashes broke out in Raniganj and Asansol in the same district.
Andal is 32 km from Asansol and 18 km from Raniganj. Bashar told IE that he didn’t know about the clashes when he had gone out to beg.
Speaking about the incident, he said: “We go to various places in Birbhum and Burdwan. In Andal, some people came and snatched my cap. They said they will kill us because we are Muslims and had entered a Hindu-dominated area. Then they started beating me and my wife. My wife begged for my life and pleaded that we will never come to this area if they let us go. But they did not listen.”
He added: “I told them that we are blind and we had gone there to beg and not to cause any trouble. Rather than let us go, they asked us to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Jai Maa Tara’. I told them that Bhagwan and Allah are the same and people have the right to freedom of religion. I asked them why they were forcing us to chant Jai Shri Ram. As we feared for our lives, I agreed to do what they wanted.”
In the video, voices are heard asking Bashar to chant and is seen holding a saffron flag with *Om *written on it. Police officials told Indian Express they were unaware about the incident. Office-in-charge of Andal police haven’t received a complaint. Bedana Bibi said she was too scared to go to the police and returned home.
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