Six youngsters accused of snatching an elderly Muslim man’s skull cap in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah were reportedly arrested by local police and made to publicly apologise for disrupting communal harmony.
Skull cap incident
Police registered an FIR under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) related to rioting, promoting enmity between groups and acts prejudicial to communal harmony, TOI reported. A video purportedly of the incident surfaced, showing the procession of Rani Avanti Bai Lodhi and the elderly Muslim man wearing a skull cap making his way through the crowd. The video showed a young man reaching towards the man, snatching the skull cup off his head and tossed it. The victim, singled off in a crowd of people, could be seen visibly shocked while the crowd continued to move past him. The video went viral on social media prompting people to question the impact of this incident on communal harmony, with one person even questioning the country’s culture of respect for elders. However, soon after, local cops stepped into the picture and took suo motu cognisance of the incident. The accused were identified as Ramvakil, Sachin, Durgesh, Vipin, Yogesh and Rinku.
The arrest was made on September 1, Times of India reported. adding that the incident happened in Etah’s Marhera on August 16 during a procession of the 195th birth anniversary of Rani Avanti Bai Lodhi – a freedom fighter of the 1857 revolt and queen of Ramgarh who fought against the British. The six accused, as seen in footage from the venue were caught by police on September 1.
“During the Shobha Yatra of Veerangana Rani Avanti Bai Lodhi, preventive action taken by Marhara Police Station against 06 individuals attempting to disrupt communal harmony,” Etah police wrote in an official social media post..
