A group of Muslim students from Hyderabad traveling to Uttar Pradesh for examinations in the Darul Uloom seminary in the state were allegedly harassed by some persons at a railway station in Delhi on Thursday.
The incident was caught on camera and posted as a video on social media, which later made rounds on the internet. The video demonstrates the Muslim students can be seen standing on the platform. One man dressed in saffron clothing is seen approaching them menacingly.
The man is heard uttering threats against the Muslim students, saying that they should not slaughter the cow or they will be killed. “Don’t kill a cow, don’t kill a cow. Or else we will kill you,” the man said. The Muslim students can be seen remaining quiet throughout this ordeal.
The student who posted the video has said, “It was an incident of identity-based provocation. The group was waiting for the connecting train, and they were not doing anything that could have provoked the man. The problem with such incidents is that the victim may land up in trouble for being Muslim.”
He advised other contestants who were coming from different states for the Darul Uloom Deoband exams to be watchful and avoid any kind of conflict. “They want you to react in anger and get into a fight,” he advised the students.
One of the oldest and most prominent Islamic centers for learning is the Darul Uloom Deoband, located in the city of Saharanpur in the state of Uttar Pradesh, and thousands of students from all over the world come to attend the exams held here.
The case has started to draw social media attention regarding religious tensions and security for minority students’ travel. However, no official statement has been made regarding this case yet.
