4 booked in Vadodara for ‘assault’ on Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind members

Senior police officials said they have formed teams to nab the accused identified as Dirga Mahida, Lala Mahida, Raju Rathod and Sameer Mahida—all residents of Dhaniyavi.

According to the FIR filed by Zeeshan Alam Panagar, he, along with his friend Shakir Doodhwala, was in the village to attend the meeting when they were assaulted and threatened not to return to the village for any religious meetings.

“I had attended the meeting organised by the JUH late Thursday night to discuss a socio-religious campaign to raise funds for the education and medical treatment of poor children… At around 11 pm, my friend (Doodhwala) and I were returning on my motorcycle and were accompanied by Abdul Mujeeb Mafat, Haji Ahmed Mansoori, Fuzel Poliawala and Maulana Mohseen Mansuri in a four-wheeler trailing us.

When we reached the exit from Dhaniyavi, we were accosted by the four accused, who warned us not to return to the village to conduct any religious meetings,” Panagar stated in his complaint.

The complainant also stated that when he tried to explain that the meeting was held for a social cause, the accused allegedly pushed Panagar and began thrashing him. “When Doodhwala tried to intervene, they began abusing him and thrashing him.

As the four-wheeler trailing us came closer and our friends tried to stop the accused from hitting us, they brought baseball sticks and iron pipes from their cars.

They broke the windscreen of the car and also vandalised the vehicles, causing a damage of up to Rs 80,000. They also threatened to kill us if we paid no heed to their warnings. Fearing for our lives, we fled the spot.”

The police have booked the accused under Indian Penal Code Sections for wrongful restraint (341), voluntarily causing hurt (323), uttering obscene words in public place [294(b)], intentionally insults to provoke to cause a break of public peace or commit offence (504), criminal intimidation [506(2)], mischief causing damage amounting to fifty rupees (427) and abettor present when offence committed (114).