Muslim Man Allegedly Thrashed After Assailants See ‘786’ Tattooed on Him

The Panipat ACP, however, claimed that the incident had been given a “communal angle” on social media and that the man had been accused of kidnapping and assaulting a child.

New Delhi: A 28-year-old man, who had travelled to Panipat in search of work, was allegedly thrashed by assailants after they found out that his name was Akhlaq.

According to a report in TwoCircles.net, Akhlaq’s brother, Ikram said that his brother had left his home on August 23 in Nanauta, 23 km from Saharanpur for Panipat, Haryana, where he was attacked after the assailants found out that he was Muslim and saw the number ‘786’ tattooed on his hand.

However, Panipat ACP Satish Kumar Vats disputed the allegation and told the Indian Express that initial investigation had indicated that the man had sexually assaulted a child and might have injured himself while trying to escape.

According to the national daily, an FIR was registered at the same police station on the basis of a complaint by the child’s family against the man for allegedly kidnapping and sexually assaulting the seven-year-old. The family claimed that they rescued the child and caught the man, who later managed to escape.

Akhlaq’s brother, however, accused the police of “deliberately trying to dismiss it as a case of accident”. Ikram maintained that his brother had gone to Panipat in search of employment owing to the dire financial situation at home.

Ikram said that after reaching Panipat, his brother decided to rest for a few minutes in the Kishanpura area when he was approached by two men who asked him his name. “As soon as they heard his name they started beating him. After which Akhlaq was left on the road in the injured condition,” Ikram said.

Soon after, Akhlaq knocked on the nearest door to ask for water. But the men in the house dragged him inside starting beating him with wooden sticks. “He realised they were the same men who were beating him minutes earlier,” Ikram said.

Akhlaq told his brother that there were four men and two women in the house. When they saw 786 written on his hand, they told him, “we won’t let this be written on your hand”.

“They cut off his right hand with a chainsaw (a machine used to cut heavy logs of wood),” said Ikram and added that Akhlaq had the numbers 786 tattooed on his hands when he was only 15 years old. “We believe in 786. We believe in Allah,” he added.

When Akhlaq regained consciousness, he found that he was lying at a railway station.

“Akhlaq was taken to the railway station and was thrown on the railway track to portray as if he got injuries in a train accident,” Ikram said and added that by the time he reached the Panipat hospital, S.I Balvaan of GRP Police station was already present.

“The police seem to have already decided to dismiss the case by calling it an accident,” Ikram told TwoCircles.net.

After Akhlaq told his brother about the locality where he was assaulted, Ikram went to the place and found out who the assailants were. Ikram said that while the sub-inspector called them into the police station, they were allowed to go after a while.

An FIR has also been lodged at Thana Chandni Bagh in Panipat.

“This is a case of kattarpanthi, they cut off his hand because 786 was written on his hand,” Ikram said.

Panipat ACP Satish Kumar Vats said that a “communal angle” was being given to the incident on social media.

“We are investigating. But prima facie, it appears the man was allegedly involved in sexual assault on a minor boy. He escaped in an inebriated state and might have suffered an injury on the railway tracks. He was admitted to Civil Hospital by GRP personnel. When the matter was brought to my notice, I sent the investigating officer to record his statement, but he had already fled,” said Vats.