Three young students from a madrasa in outer Delhi's Begumpur area have complained that they were beaten up by a group of men inside a park for refusing to chant 'Jai Mata Ki', according to media reports. The men even broke an arm of 18-year-old Dilkash -- one of the three assaulted -- during the incident.
"My friends and I had gone to Bans Wala park, some 300 metres from the madrasa, when we were attacked by a group of young men. They spotted us because we were wearing caps and asked us to say Jai Mata Ki,β Dilkash told The Indian Express.
The men have been drinking, according to this report, when they saw the three students approach the park during the school break, and asked them to chant the slogan. When they refused, the men roughed them up.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Vikramjit Singh told the Express that a case was registered under sections 323 (causing hurt), 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 34 of the Indian Penal Code at Begumpur police station. He confirmed that the men complained that they were asked to hail 'Bharat Mata' -- a slogan that has become the cynosure of controversies after a raging public debate on whether religions other than Hinduism allowed room for chanting it and if it infringes on the right of an Indian reluctant to endorse this form of demonstrative nationalism.
However, a PTI report quoted the police as saying that the victim did not mention any such thing in his statement on the day of the incident and that there were "inconsistencies" in his versions.
The incident took place on March 26, when three men called up the police control room complaining about a fight. When a police team reached there, it was told that they were allegedly beaten up with sticks by three other youths, aged between 18 and 21, at a park near a madrasa in the area.
They were taken for medical check up, following which no injuries were found on the bodies of two and one had a fracture. An X-ray has confirmed the fracture.
I wl say Bharat mata Ki jai joyously, proudly & voluntarily a 1000 times. Its great. But I wl defend 2death ur right not 2say it if forced.
β Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) March 30, 2016
Meanwhile, Akhil Bhartiya Yogi Mahasabha president and Gorakhpur BJP MP, Yogi Adityanath, told a meeting in Jaisalmer that those who have a problem with saying 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' or Vande Mataram, should leave the country. Adityanath said every person staying in India should feel pride in saying 'Bharat Mata ki jJai'.
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