Three men were arrested and their homes demolished in Bhopal on June 19 after they were slapped with the stringent National Security Act (NSA) for allegedly assaulting and attempting to convert the religion of a young man.
In a video of the alleged assault, which took place on May 9 and surfaced online on Monday, the victim can be seen forced to get down on all fours with a belt-like object around his neck and asked to behave like a dog.
Taking cognisance of the video, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra described it as a condemnable act and directed the Bhopal Police Commissioner to probe the matter and take legal action within the next 24 hours.
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The police registered a case against six accused under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Freedom of Religion Act.
In his complaint, the victim purportedly told the police that six men – three of whom he knew – took him forcefully to an isolated location on the night of the incident where they thrashed him, asked him to convert his religion, and filmed the assault which they used to blackmail him later.
Following this, three accused – Faizan Khan, Sameer Khan and Sahil alias Salauddin – were arrested and their homes demolished. The NSA was also added to the case.
“The police took quick action and arrested the accused. Action under the NSA was taken and illegal structures were identified and demolished,” Mr. Mishra said.
He added that such a mindset would not be allowed to continue in Madhya Pradesh. “We will work to crush such hateful thinking,” he said.
Meanwhile, Rameshwar Sharma, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Huzur constituency of Bhopal, demanded a probe into the religious angle of the matter. “The police should find out if there are organised attempts to persecute Hindu children,” he said.
