Elderly man beaten in India after mob brands him “Bangladeshi infiltrator”
Viral video from Rajasthan shows brutal assault linked to beef accusations and Rohingya slur, renewing alarm over mob violence in BJP-ruled states
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — An elderly man was brutally assaulted by a group of attackers in western India after being accused of eating beef and labeled a “Rohingya” and “Bangladeshi infiltrator,” according to a widely circulated video that has sparked renewed outrage over mob violence and ethnic profiling.
The incident took place in Aklera, a town in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar district, where video footage shows the unidentified man lying on the ground as a group of around eight to ten young men surround him. The assailants are seen repeatedly kicking him in the head and torso, striking him with sticks, and slapping him as he pleads weakly for mercy.
In the footage, the attackers can be heard hurling abuses, accusing the man of consuming beef — a charge frequently used by Hindu extremist groups to justify violence — while questioning his nationality and branding him a foreign infiltrator. The man appears frail and unable to defend himself.
Local media reports said the assault occurred on or around January 2. Rajasthan is governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party, under whose rule several such incidents linked to vigilantism and mob violence have been reported in recent years.
The attack has drawn sharp political condemnation. Anita Yadav, vice-president of the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Jharkhand, said the assault reflected a wider pattern of mob violence becoming normalized, particularly in BJP-governed states.
She alleged that despite repeated incidents, authorities have failed to act decisively. Yadav also referred to earlier lynching cases, including the killing of Angel Chakma and a folk singer in separate incidents, arguing that persistent inaction had emboldened vigilante groups.
In a separate statement, the Chhattisgarh unit of the Indian National Congress’s Sevadal wing said the incident had nothing to do with nationalism, describing it instead as “open violence” enabled by impunity.
Human rights advocates have long warned that accusations related to beef consumption and the branding of individuals as “Rohingya” or “Bangladeshi” — regardless of citizenship — are increasingly used as tools to legitimize violence against Muslims and marginalized communities in India. Such labels, analysts say, collapse religion, ethnicity, and migration into a single narrative of threat.
Authorities have not yet publicly disclosed whether arrests have been made in connection with the Aklera assault, nor have they released details about the victim’s condition.
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