Muslim laborer brutally beaten by group in India
Viral video shows young Muslim man pleading for his life as several men beat him with sticks, rods and belts before forcing him to hold their feet following minor dispute
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A young Muslim laborer has been brutally assaulted by a group of men in India’s northern Uttar Pradesh state, with video footage showing him pleading for his life as his attackers repeatedly beat and humiliate him.
The victim, identified as Bilal, works as a laborer at a brick kiln in Shamli district, according to Indian media, which reported that the attack followed a verbal altercation. The precise circumstances that triggered the violence remain unclear.
Footage of the assault, which has circulated widely on social media, shows several men surrounding Bilal on a road before he is taken to a nearby field.
There, the attackers can be seen striking him repeatedly with sticks, rods and belts, as well as kicking and punching him. Other people appear to stand nearby as the assault is filmed.
As the beating continues, Bilal can be heard desperately asking his attackers to stop.
“Oh brother, I’ll die … let me go, I’ll hold your feet,” he says in the video.
The footage then appears to show the injured man being forced to hold the feet of some of his attackers, adding an element of public humiliation to the physical assault.
The video has triggered anger online, with social media users questioning how the attackers could openly film the violence and circulate the footage.
Some users called on Uttar Pradesh police to take immediate action, while others said the attack reflected broader concerns over law enforcement and impunity in the state.
One social media user alleged that the attackers enjoyed support from the Hindu supremacist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, but there is no independently verified evidence establishing such an affiliation.
Shamli Police said a case had been registered at Kandhla Police Station under relevant provisions of law and that further legal proceedings were underway.
Police did not identify the accused in their initial public statement or say whether anyone had been arrested.
The incident comes amid continuing concerns over vigilante and communal violence in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, which is governed by Hindu monk Yogi Adityanath of the BJP.
Muslims and rights groups have repeatedly accused authorities in the state of failing to adequately protect the Muslim minority from targeted violence and of allowing perpetrators in some high-profile cases to act with impunity.
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