A 18-year-old Muslim boy was allegedly beaten up by locals in Madhya Pradesh's Betul district on Friday, 5 November, for a purportedly offensive WhatsApp status about Diwali.
Ashfaq Ali, resident of Balajipuram, had posted a message on WhatsApp saying "Bahut Shubhkamnaye Diwali Ki (BSDK)." The status had triggered a row, and some locals and members of Hindu groups from the village had collectively visited the teenaged boy's house, and had assaulted him.
Purported videos of the incident, which had gone viral on social media, showed a mob of men brutally hitting the boy, and chanting 'Jai Shri Ram.'
"Ashfaq had posted some content which was objected by the locals and members of Hindu groups. After we got the news of a fight we called both groups including family of Ashfaq and it was all sorted out. Both parties decided to not proceed with any legal actions and hence no FIR was registered," AB Marskole, PS in-charge Betul Bazar.
Ashfaq's father, Saeed Ali, told The Quint that the family had decided against the filing of a complaint as they fear further trouble if they pursue the case. Ashfaq Ali's family is among the very few Muslim families that reside in the area.
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