72-year-old man assaulted on train after being accused of carrying beef
Videos of the entire incident, shot by co-passengers, went viral on social media, after which the GRP took note and started searching for the elderly man.
THANE: The Government Railway Police (GRP) in Thane on Saturday registered a First Information Report (FIR) against a group of men who allegedly assaulted a 72-year-old man on a train after accusing him of carrying beef.
According to the GRP, Ashraf Ali Syed Hussain, a resident of Jalgaon, was travelling on the Dhule CSMT Express on August 28 when he got into a dispute with co-passengers over a seat. He was then allegedly assaulted by a group of men, who suspected he was carrying cooked beef in two containers.
Videos of the entire incident, shot by co-passengers, went viral on social media, after which the GRP took note and started searching for the elderly man. An assistant police inspector from the Thane GRP eventually found Hussain at his daughter’s home in Bhiwandi and recorded his statement. A case was then registered on Saturday at the Thane Railway Police Station against the group of men based on his statement.
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The police have identified six people allegedly involved in the assault and detained three of them. The accused have been booked under sections 189(2) (unlawful assembly), 191(2) (rioting), 190 (being a member of unlawful assembly), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 324(4) (destruction of public property), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 352 (intentional insult with intention of breach of peace) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita.
In the viral videos, the men are seen questioning Hussain about two containers of meat that he was carrying, before kicking and slapping him. They are also heard threatening to take him to the police station.
An officer from Thane GRP stated, “The suspects involved have been detained in Dhule, and a team has been dispatched to bring them to Thane. We are conducting further legal action by examining CCTV footage and the viral video.”
The GRP also urged people not to believe a message circulating on social media that Hussain had died by suicide after the incident. Hussain himself said, “I want to thank everyone who is genuinely concerned about my health, but I want to assure you that I am fine. I was only going to visit my daughter. What happened was traumatic, and I have provided all the details to the police.”