A 46-YEAR-OLD businessman was allegedly assaulted by unidentified persons on board the Padmavat Express train on Friday evening, police said on Saturday. Moradabad-based Asim Hussain was returning home from New Delhi when the alleged incident occurred, they added.
However, police said that during preliminary investigation, it was found that allegations made by Hussain that his assailants also pulled his beard and forced him to chant a religious slogan are false.
A video in which Hussain is purportedly seen being beaten up with a belt surfaced on social media soon after the alleged incident and a police team reached the compartment. On the basis of information collected from other passengers, the police nabbed two persons, later identified as Satish Kumar and Suraj Kumar.
Satish (23), who hails from Rae Bareli and Suraj (25) of Pratpgarh are labourers. “Initially, since an FIR was not yet lodged in the matter, both were booked on charges of breach of peace.
They were produced before a magistrate and released on bail,” said Circle Officer, (CO) Moradabad (Railway) Devi Dayal.
Superintendent of Police, Railway (Moradabad), Aparna Gupta said that on Saturday, an FIR was registered at the Government Railway Police Station in Moradabad, when Hussain approached them nearly 24 hours after the alleged incident.
Hussain has alleged that the assailants also pulled his beard and forced him to chant a religious slogan before another fellow passenger helped him exit the train when it (train) stopped at the outer near Moradabad railway station. He also claimed that the suspects took Rs 2,200 from his pocket. “During preliminary investigation, it was found that allegations made by Hussain that assailants pulled his beard and forced him to chant a religious slogan are false,” said SP Gupta.
Police said they reached this conclusion on the basis of evidence collected so far. “We have come to know that people inside the compartment had a heated argument with Hussain after a woman travelling in the same compartment made an allegation of molestation against him (Hussain). A few passengers beat up Hussain,” said CO Dayal.
“When a police team present in the train for the security of passengers reached the compartment, Hussain had alighted from the train. The police team also failed to trace the woman. Further investigation is on,” added CO Dayal.
A medical examination of Hussain was conducted and the report said he has “no major injuries.”
The FIR has been registered against unidentified persons. The case was filed under relevant IPC sections, including 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 392 (robbery), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 298 (uttering words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person), CO Dayal added.
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