The Muslim community in Undhela village of Gujarat’s Kheda district on Monday called for a boycott of the second phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections 2022, reported NDTV. This is the area where nine Muslim men were reportedly chained to a pole and flogged by the police in October after, accusing them of throwing stones at a Navratri Garba event.
Police had detained the men, chained them to a post, and beat them up with canes. A crowd was seen applauding in the video of the incident as officers watched the plainclothesmen thrash the Muslim men.
The inspector in charge of the area, who was present during the incident, then asked the men to apologise to the people. After the video of the incident went viral, an inquiry panel was set up, but its findings have not yet been made public.
The incident led to widespread outrage over the kangaroo justice being meted out by the cops. An inquiry committee was set up after the flogging incident, but no report has been released yet.
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According to news agency PTI, a mob of around 150 hurled stones at the people at a garba event outside a temple on October 3. Naming 43 suspects, the FIR stated that members of the Muslim community of Undhela opposed the garba event being organised near a mosque across the temple.
PTI quoted Deputy Superintendent of Police VR Bajpai as saying: ” The village sarpanch (head) had organised garba at a temple. A mob from the Muslim community tried to stop it. Police detained 13 persons after the FIR was registered at Matar police station.”
Earlier, Kheda SP Rajesh Gadhiya said two Muslim men led a group to the Navratri Garba venue to “cause trouble”.
The two-phase elections for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly ended on Monday. The results will be declared on December 8.
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