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A group of six unidentified men have been accused of beating up three Muslim boys for refusing to say ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in Gujarat's Godhra, police said on Friday, 2 August, according to PTI.
However, SP of Panchmahals District Leena Patil told The Quint that the CCTV footage captured from the location suggest that the boys had been involved in “an altercation”.
Siddique Bhagat, the complainant, claimed that six unidentified men on two motorcycles stopped his 17-year-old son, Samir, and his friends – Salman Gheeteli and Sohail Bhagat – when the trio were returning home on a motorbike on Thursday night.
“Before leaving, the assailants threatened to kill them if they were seen again in the area,” stated the FIR registered at Godhra Town police station, PTI reported.
Samir and his friends were taken to a hospital by some local people with serious injuries, Police Inspector HC Rathva said.
Leena Patil, SP of Panchmahals District, told The Quint, that the CCTV footage captured from the location tells a different story.
Patil told The Quint that while the CCTV footage shows otherwise, further investigation will look into the allegation of forcing the victim to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram.’
When asked why a statement about the misinformation was not issued at the earliest, Patil said, “We already issued statements and have arrested all the accused. One of them is a minor who will be arrested tomorrow. Godhra is a sensitive area, thus such news stories spread fast. We have given out the right information about the whole issue today afternoon. Yet such reports are being circulated.”
(With inputs from PTI.)
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