Bengaluru autorickshaw driver alleges assault over ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan, police say motive yet to be confirmed

A 28-year-old autorickshaw driver, Waseem Ahmed, was allegedly attacked by a group of men in Bengaluru’s Hegde Nagar on Saturday evening, leaving him with serious injuries, reported The Indian Express. While the victim claims he was assaulted for refusing to chant "Jai Shri Ram", police told  the publication that motive behind the attack is still under investigation and not conclusively linked to any religious provocation.

A Bengaluru auto driver alleged that he was attacked by a mob for not chanting 'Jai Shri Ram'

According to the report, the incident occurred around 6:30 PM on June 22, when Ahmed and a friend were standing near a vacant plot in the Sampigehalli area. Ahmed claimed that a group of six to eight men, allegedly intoxicated, confronted them and demanded that he chant a religious slogan. When he refused, they allegedly attacked him, while his friend managed to escape.

Ahmed suffered multiple injuries, including suspected internal damage and partial hearing loss in his right ear, and was treated at Yelahanka General Hospital, where a medico-legal case was registered.