Slapped, beard pulled on DTC bus, alleges imam

The complainant, Maulana Mohammed Aftab Alam, the imam of Masjid Abubakar at a JJ Colony in Bawana, has been staying in Delhi with his family since 2008. Alam alleged police took almost an hour to reach Bawana depot, where he was waiting.

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Maulana Mohammed Aftab Alam. (Express photo by Amit Mehra)

A 27-year-old imam of a mosque in outer Delhi’s Bawana has alleged that two men misbehaved with him and pulled his beard while he was travelling on a DTC bus in Shahbad Dairy area. He further alleged that when he tried to object, one of them slapped him. Police said that an FIR has been registered under IPC sections 323 (causing hurt) and 341 (wrongful restraint) of the IPC, but no arrest has been made so far.

The complainant, Maulana Mohammed Aftab Alam, the imam of Masjid Abubakar at a JJ Colony in Bawana, has been staying in Delhi with his family since 2008. “The incident took place on Sunday evening when I was returning home after meeting relatives in Seelampur. I boarded the bus for Shahbad Dairy. From there, I boarded another DTC bus to Bawana bus depot. Around 10 passengers were in the bus when two persons, aged around 35-40, approached me. They started misbehaving without provocation, and asked me about my nationality,” Alam, who hails from Bihar, alleged.

“They asked if I’m Indian and I said yes. When I objected to their misbehaviour, one of them slapped me. I started shivering. Then they asked me to raise slogans such as Jai Mata Di and Jai Shri Ram, which I did. But they kept on misbehaving and pulled my beard. One of the passengers tried to intervene, but they threatened him so he backed off,” Alam alleged.

“I tried to raise an alarm by calling the driver and conductor, but they did not intervene. After slapping and misbehaving with me, the men got down at Prahladpur bus stand. I immediately made a PCR call,” said Alam, who teaches at the mosque.

Alam alleged police took almost an hour to reach Bawana depot, where he was waiting. “They recorded my statement and I was taken to a nearby hospital for medical examination,” he said.

“The investigation officer took me to the spot and asked me to stay at the police station for the night. I reached home the next morning after taking another bus,” he claimed.

DCP (Rohini district) Rajneesh Gupta said several persons have been detained but no arrest has been made yet.

Mahender Singh Manral

Mahender Singh Manral is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. He is known for his impactful and breaking stories. He covers the Ministry of Home Affairs, Investigative Agencies, National Investigative Agency, Central Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Agencies, Paramilitary Forces, and internal security. Prior to this, Manral had extensively reported on city-based crime stories along with that he also covered the anti-corruption branch of the Delhi government for a decade. He is known for his knack for News and a detailed understanding of stories. He also worked with Mail Today as a senior correspondent for eleven months. He has also worked with The Pioneer for two years where he was exclusively covering crime beat. During his initial days of the career he also worked with The Statesman newspaper in the national capital, where he was entrusted with beats like crime, education, and the Delhi Jal Board. A graduate in Mass Communication, Manral is always in search of stories that impact lives. ... Read More

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