A Muslim auto rickshaw driver, Mohammad Danish, has alleged that he was beaten and harassed on the basis of his religious identity by Kanpur’s traffic police. The victim of the alleged harassment, Mohammad Danish, through a social media video, shared the incident. In the video, Danish could be seen pointing at a few traffic police officers and said he was repairing his vehicle when the officers approached him.
“They beat me with sticks. They kept saying, “He is a Muslim, beat him,” the auto rickshaw driver was heard saying in the video.
“They said they will send me to jail,” he alleged.
The video captures scenes where Danish can be seen arguing with officers while the scene is being filmed by another policeman. The video further captures one officer pointing a phone camera at Danish and saying the driver has no license, to which Danish replied, “So if I don’t have a license, will you beat me? Yes, I have a license—I’ll get it and show you right now.”
As the video made rounds on the internet, claims have also emerged that the officer allegedly used the derogatory slur that is used for Muslims.
“Why do you even talk to these people?” the officer added.
Danish claimed that he was stuck with batons by traffic police and his auto rickshaw was seized despite, as claimed by Danish, having all valid documents.
“They beat us with sticks, saying, ‘Beat him—he’s a Muslim,'” he was heard saying in the video.
According to Danish, the traffic police officer is identified as Anupam Singh, who further demanded a bribe of Rs. 10,000. When talking about the claim of being sent to jail, Danish said he was threatened only because of his Muslim identity.
The incident has garnered reactions on social media, with users and activists calling for transparency and accountability. The Kanpur Traffic Media Cell, meanwhile, said that the auto rickshaw was seized as Danish failed to produce a driving license. However, Danish has appealed for a fair probe into the matter.
