Elderly Muslim man assaulted in Karnataka, allegedly forced to chant 'Jai Shri Ram'

'This looks more like an assault for money than communal reasons. We have not ruled out anything and investigations are on,' police said.

Koppal: A 62-year-old visually challenged Muslim man was assaulted by miscreants, allegedly demanding him to chant 'Jai Sri Ram' in Gangavathi town in Koppal district, Karnataka recently.

In his complaint with the Gangavathi town police station, the victim Hussain Sab said that a few bike-borne miscreants forced him to board their bikes, took him to an isolated place and assaulted him. He charged that the miscreants, most of them youths, took away his money and set his beard on fire after assaulting him on November 25 midnight.

An FIR regarding this was filed on November 30 after people from the Muslim community came to know about the incident.

Hussain Sab, in the complaint, said that the youths, not only abused him, but also made derogatory comments against his community. "They intended to kill me. They assaulted me with a beer bottle and were trying to smash my head with a stone. Shepherds in the neighbourhood came to my rescue," he said in the complaint.

However, speaking to DH, police officials claimed that this was a crime to loot money.

“While there are scratch marks on his back and other injury marks on his face, there are no signs of him being assaulted by a bottle. This looks more like an assault for money than communal reasons. We have not ruled out anything and investigations are on,” said Koppal Superintendent of Police Yashodha Vantagodi.