Four arrested for assaulting Muslim waiter in Aurangabad

Aurangabad (Maharashtra), July 22 (IANS) At least four persons have been arrested by the police for assaulting a Muslim man in Maharashtra's Aurangabad on Friday. Investigating Officer Madhukar Sawant said the accused will be produced in court on Monday.

According to the police, Imran Ismail Patel, 27, who works at an eatery in Muzaffarnagar locality here, was returning home on his motorcycle shortly after midnight on Friday, when he was stopped by the group of men at the Hudco corner.

Taking away the ignition key of his motorcycle, the group asked him his name, where he was going and hurled abuses at him. The crowd then assaulted him. One of them menacingly raised a stone on his head and ordered him to say "Jai Shri Ram", which a terrified Patel repeated loudly thrice.

Hearing the fracas, some local residents rushed out of their homes. One Ganesh Mandapwale rescued Patel from the clutches of the violent group and even got back his motorcycle keys.

Hours later, Patel lodged a complaint with the Begumpura Police station. The police arrested a history-sheeter G.V. Sonawane on Sunday. A few more arrests were made on Monday morning.

The Aurangabad Police, which beefed up security in and around the minority-dominated globally-renowned tourist centre, have however, tried to play down the incident. The police said that it was not a communal incident and appealed to people not to believe rumours.

This is the second such incident in Maharashtra in recent weeks. On June 22, Faisal Usman Khan, 25, an Ola cabbie from Mumbra (Thane), had alleged assault by half a dozen people on the highway near Diva. Three accused in the case were arrested later.