A police inspector saved a Muslim boy from the wrath of a mob in Uttarakhand's Ramnagar, after he was allegedly found with a Hindu girl in a temple.
The couple met in a temple in Girija village, a sparsely populated region, where they were caught by a group of violent men.
In a video that has now gone viral on social media, Sub-Inspector Gagandeep Singh came to the boy's rescue, fearing the angry mob may lynch him to death.
Speaking to The Citizen after the incident, Gagandeep said that while he had gotten a lot of appreciation, he was also subject to a lot of trolling and hate messages on social media.
My main aim was to save the boy from being lynched by the crowd. I have received a lot of positive messages on social media and from the police department. However I have also received several hate messages.Gagandeep
The video shows Gagandeep confronting the group of men all alone, while protecting the boy from those who were baying for his blood. Another police officer was seen trying to keep the mob at bay.
When the police officer refused to hand over the boy, the group allegedly started chanting anti-police slogans. The group shut the gate of the temple and continuously tried to beat the boy.
The protection that Gagandeep provided to the boy didn't go down well with the mob. The Lallantop, quoting witnesses, reported that the boy was sitting on the floor after being thrashed by the angry group of men, and the girl was arguing with them.
When the girl asked a man why he had beaten up the boy, the man allegedly responded: “We will chop him to pieces. You are a Hindu and roaming around with a Mulsim man. I will chop you too.”
An officer from Ramnagar police station confirmed to The Quint that the incident had occurred on the said day. "Two boys and a girl were sitting inside the temple. Some of the other attendees and workers at the temple raised an objection. Sub-Inspector Gagandeep Singh happened to be there. He took control of the situation and rescued the boy from the spot," the officer said.
The police also said that they had contacted the families of the boy and the girl. "We called their families and handed them over."
The group had allegedly roughed up the boy and one of his friends by the time police arrived at the scene.
The group also alleged that the couple was "getting intimate," but the police didn't say anything clearly about this allegation.
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