Arsheed Ahmad, TwoCircles.net
On the humid morning of June 17, Mohammad Waseem, a rug trader in Mukteshwar – a serene tourist village in Uttarakhand’s Nainital district – stepped out of his rented home, as he did every day, to begin his business. He took a familiar turn down a well-worn road, a path he had walked countless times before. But that day, something felt different – an uneasy premonition he could not shake.
Moments later, Waseem found himself surrounded, brutally beaten and subjected to a level of humiliation he never imagined possible.
“They put a dog collar around my neck and mocked me, calling me ‘katwa mullah’ (a derogatory and offensive slur used in a communal context in India for Muslims). I begged them to stop. I cried. They treated me like I was not even human,” he alleged.
But the attack did not allegedly stop at humiliation only. He said the men used sharp weapons, possibly knives, and left him with deep bruises and visible injury marks on his back.
“They slashed at me with blades. I was in so much pain I thought I might not make it. My body still burns where they cut me,” he said.
He further alleged the assailants tried to set him on fire, but when they could not find petrol or kerosene, they resorted to using sharp weapons instead.
What unfolded, he alleged, was not a random act of street crime but a targeted hate crime. “They found out I was Muslim, and that is when they started beating me. They also snatched the money I had,” he said.
The attackers, he said, stole Rs 5,000 in cash and business goods worth around Rs 40,000, including rugs and textiles he sells as part of his daily trade. “It was not even mine. I just handle the delivery and payment cycle. I was just trying to earn an honest living,” he narrated.
But the losses were not only financial. Waseem’s car, a WagonR, was allegedly smashed. “They shattered all the windows. My body is injured, yes, but so is my mind. I have not stepped out of my room since. I am afraid,” he said.
This was not the first time Waseem was allegedly targeted. He mentioned a previous incident, years ago, when a video of him was circulated on social media. He believes it was done to humiliate him and gain online attention. But the June 17 assault, he said, was the first time it turned physically violent.
After the attack, Waseem fled Mukteshwar for his safety and sought refuge in Banbhoolpura, a Muslim-majority neighbourhood in Haldwani town.
The response from authorities, Waseem claimed, has been inconsistent. He filed a zero FIR at the Banbhoolpura Police Station the same day. The accused was detained briefly but released within hours.
A formal FIR followed. Waseem said he also sent a fax to the Superintendent of Police. “They are preparing a chargesheet, but my statement still has not been officially recorded. Meanwhile, the man who did this is walking free, going about his life. And I am locked inside my home, terrified,” he shared.
He said he did not know the attacker beforehand. “The police picked him up from the location. They sent me a photo for identification, told me not to share it and then deleted it from my phone.”
The police, he said, have summoned him to Mukteshwar to record his statement, but he is afraid to return, fearing further attacks from the assailants who, he claimed, are still roaming free.
Waseem’s lawyer, Owais Ahmad, has raised concerns about how the case is being handled. “I got to know about the matter after a complaint, and a zero FIR has been registered,” he said.
The lawyer also questioned how the case was framed. “In their application, they described the incident as a robbery. While robbery is certainly a part of it, this also involves mob lynching. Unfortunately, they only mentioned robbery in the complaint. This is a hate crime, but that aspect was not included,” he added.
When TwoCircles.net contacted the police officer handling the case, he declined to comment, stating they were not authorised to speak on the matter.
Waseem’s anger is directed not just at the attackers, but also at what he sees as systemic neglect. “The government says we are safe. Where is that safety? I am bleeding. My back is cut open. Where is Modi’s government now?”
The assault took place in the Mukteshwar Thana jurisdiction. Waseem said he wants justice not just for himself, but to prevent others from suffering the same fate. “This should not happen to anyone. I survived by the grace of God. But what if it had been someone else?” he asked.
Aqib Qureshi, vice president of the Dehradun-based Muslim Seva Sangathan, said that the attack on Waseem reflects a pattern of targeted actions against the Muslim community in Uttarakhand. He claimed that anti-Muslim hate crimes and hate speeches have been on the rise in the state over the past several years.
“These people have been given a free hand to carry out such actions. Otherwise, they should be behind bars. This is a deliberate and calculated move against Muslims. They want to disrupt Muslim businesses and create obstacles in their livelihoods,” he concluded.