Jai Mata Ki issue: 5 arrested, hurting sentiments added to charges

Five men were arrested Wednesday in connection with the alleged beating up of three Muslim youths for refusing to say “Jai Mata Ki”, three days after the incident.

Five men were arrested Wednesday in connection with the alleged beating up of three Muslim youths for refusing to say “Jai Mata Ki”, three days after the incident.

Mohd Dilkash, Mohd Ajmal, Mohd Naeem talking (in blue shirt) with Hindustantimes at Mohamedi masjid, Begumpur in New Delhi.

It was reported from a park in Outer Delhi’s Begampur on Saturday. An FIR was registered on Tuesday for causing grievous hurt, wrongful restraint and criminal intimidation. Hurting religious feelings was added to the charges on Wednesday after victims Dilkash, Ajmal and Naeem, all aged 18, alleged the men threw their skull caps on the ground and crushed them under their feet.

Aditya, Sagar, Ashu, Sachin and Karamveer, all in their midtwenties, confessed they beat up the boys, but denied forcing them to say “Jai Mata Ki.” The men told the police they were playing cricket in the bamboo park, when the ball accidentally hit one of the youths. The three youths were allegedly walking nearby. When the ball hit one of them, he started abusing the men.

“Themen said one of themretaliated after the youth abused them. An altercation between them led to a scuffle,” a senior police officer said. The three youths earlier told the police the men were drinking in the park and abused them. They said one of them slapped them and asked them to chant “Jai Mata Ki”.

They accused four out of five men of thrashing them with bamboo sticks from the park, despite their chanting the slogan once.

Sources said there was a discrepancy in the accounts of the youths. “Earlier, they said the men were drinking in the park. Now they are saying they were just playing…We are inquiring into the matter,” sources said. He said they would also look into their recent allegation of the men throwing their skull caps.

DCP (outer) Vikramjeet told HT, “We have added appropriate sections after the allegation by the victims.”