‘He is a Muslim’: Nuh communal riots accused Bittu Bajrangi, who is out on bail, assaults Hindu man in police presence

Bajrangi is out on bail after he was arrested last year for allegedly inciting communal violence in Nuh district of Muslim majority Mewat region — which encompasses parts of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

The incident, which took place on April 1 in Faridabad, was caught on camera. When the video surfaced on the Internet, the police swung into action and lodged a first information report (FIR) on the complaint of the victim — who is a resident of Faridabad’s Sarurpur.

The police claimed the victim — Shyam — said in his complaint that he was going to purchase the girl some chocolates when he was waylaid by a few individuals.

They brought him to the house of their leader — Bajrangi — at Faridabad’s Sanjay Enclave.

“He began beating me up after his associates claimed that I was a Muslim. I sustained injuries on my body, hand and head. They held my hands, while Bajrangi assaulted me and threatened to kill me,” the victim narrated in his complaint.

The cow vigilante, who is also a member of the Bajrang Dal, can be seen in the video carrying a stick while other men in his group drag a beseeching Shyam along the ground.

Just inches away from the man, a policeman is seen sitting on a chair. He did nothing to stop the attackers. Bajrangi has been provided with police protection round the clock after he alleged that he received death threats after his brother Mahesh Panchal passed away in December 2023.

A man then can be heard asking his associates to turn the victim around.

Bajrangi, also known as Raj Kumar, then hits him at least four times with a stick. Before Bajrangi thrashed Shyam with the stick, the mother of the girl, according to the police, also hit him.

Bajrangi and his associates have been booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections of 323 (causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).

An FIR under the POCSO Act has been lodged against the victim as well based on a complaint made by a minor girl’s father. His complaint states that the man harassed her sexually under the guise of giving her chocolates.

Following a march organized by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in July, last year, there was communal violence in Nuh, Haryana, which later expanded to Gurugram and Badshahpur.

At least 70 individuals were hurt, and six people lost their lives — including a cleric and two Haryana Home Guards. The rioters had torched or ransacked several mosques in the incident.

Accused of sharing multiple provocative posts on social media, challenging Muslims, before the ‘Brij Mandal Yatra’ kickstarted, Bajrangi was arrested on August 15 following questioning.

A case under the Arms Act and IPC sections of 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapons), 149 (member of an unlawful assembly), 186 (voluntarily obstructs any public servant in the discharge of his public functions), 332 (voluntarily causing harm to deter a public worker from doing his duties), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 395 (dacoity), 397 (committing robbery or dacoity) and 506 (criminal intimidation) was registered against him and others in connection with the communal violence.

Bajrangi and a group of 15-20 of his associates brandished swords in front of a female police officer in Nuh and chanted objectionable slogans.