Indian Muslim health worker assaulted while delivering medicine at night
Mob tied him to pole and beat him after learning his religion; incident filmed and shared widely, sparking outrage
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A Muslim health worker was tied to an electric pole and brutally beaten in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state, after locals discovered his religion during a late-night medical visit. The assault, captured on video, has triggered widespread outrage and renewed scrutiny of rising anti-Muslim violence in the country.
The victim, Asif Saifi, is a compounder—a medical assistant commonly found in rural South Asia—who had gone to Islamnagar, a town in Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh, to deliver medicine for a sick child. Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, has often made headlines for rising religious tensions under the rule of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
According to a police complaint, Asif was called around 11:30 p.m. by a Hindu woman named Shikha Sagar to help treat her two-year-old son who had suddenly fallen ill. Upon arrival, a group of men from the neighborhood confronted him. Once they learned he was Muslim, they allegedly dragged him out of the house, tied him to an electric pole, and beat him with sticks.
The attackers—identified as Mahavir, Mahesh, Manish, Ompal, Sher Singh, Megh Singh, Kuldeep, and others—also reportedly abused and threatened the woman when she tried to intervene.
Footage of the attack, filmed on a mobile phone, circulated widely on social media, drawing condemnation from across the country. The video shows the man bound and bloodied, surrounded by onlookers.
Police have registered a case against the named individuals and several unidentified others. Officials say an investigation is underway and that arrests are expected soon. A senior police officer stated that no one would be allowed to take the law into their own hands and that strict action would be taken.
Residents expressed shock at the brutality of the incident, calling it an attack not just on one individual, but on the fabric of humanity.
Local authorities have increased police presence in the area to prevent further unrest. The assault has fueled concerns about the growing climate of intolerance and vigilante violence, particularly targeting India’s Muslim minority, which makes up around 14 percent of the population.
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