Muslim man paraded naked by Hindu mob in India

NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A Muslim man in eastern India was brutally assaulted, stripped naked and forced to chant Hindu religious slogans by a mob, in an attack that has intensified concerns over the spread of anti-Muslim violence beyond India’s traditional flashpoints.

The victim, Sheikh Saroof, was attacked in Bahalda town in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district. According to his family, he was beaten mercilessly by a group of men, tied up, paraded in public during freezing winter conditions and coerced into chanting “Jai Shri Ram,” a slogan increasingly associated with mob violence targeting Muslims.

A police complaint has been filed by Saroof’s elder brother, but no arrests had been made at the time of reporting. Rights advocates say delays in arrests have become a recurring feature in cases involving attacks on religious minorities, reinforcing a sense of impunity among perpetrators.

The assault comes amid a noticeable rise in violence against Muslims in Odisha, a state historically viewed as relatively insulated from communal unrest. Just weeks earlier, a Muslim man, Makandar Mohammad, was lynched by a mob in Balasore district over allegations linked to cow protection — a recurring pretext in attacks on Muslims across India.

That case further shocked observers after members of the Hindu militant group Bajrang Dal gathered outside the Balasore superintendent of police’s office, publicly demonstrating in support of the men accused of lynching Mohammad. 

Videos from the protest showed participants reciting Hindu prayers while demanding leniency for the accused, a display that rights groups say normalizes mob violence rather than condemning it.

Analysts warn that such public mobilization in defense of alleged lynchers sends a dangerous signal, particularly when paired with slow or hesitant law enforcement responses. They note that cow-protection vigilantism and forced religious slogans have become common features in attacks against Muslims under the rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Former member of parliament Jawhar Sircar described the developments as a troubling shift, saying the BJP had turned a state with a small Muslim population into “a new hate center,” a remark that has circulated widely on social media.

Odisha’s Muslim population accounts for roughly 3% of the state’s residents, making the recent incidents particularly alarming to civil rights advocates. They argue that the spread of public humiliation, forced religious slogans and mob punishment points to a broader national pattern rather than isolated local disputes.

For Muslim communities, the attack on Saroof and the lynching in Balasore reinforce fears that everyday life is increasingly shaped by the threat of mob violence — amplified by social media, emboldened by political silence, and sustained by a lack of accountability.