Cleric beaten by mob, sent to hospital in UP's Muzaffarnagar; 5 booked

Muzaffarnagar (UP), Mar 8 (PTI) A 28-year-old cleric was allegedly assaulted by a group of men in the Sarwat locality under the Civil Lines Police Station area here on Sunday, police said.

Mufti Abdul Wahab was on his way to a mosque to pray when he came under an attack, they said.

Circle Officer Siddharth Mishra said a case has been registered against Lavi, Basant, Harish, Aditya, and Rishabh in connection with the attack.

The police have arrested Lavi while efforts are underway to trace the remaining accused, the officer said.

According to a complaint lodged by the victim's family, Wahab on his way to the mosque on his motorcycle when a group of men allegedly stopped him, made objectionable remarks and asked his name before assaulting him with sticks and a bat.

The cleric was first taken to the district hospital and was referred to a higher medical centre due to his critical condition, the police said.

The Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind condemned the incident and demanded strict action against the accused. The outfit's media in-charge, Maulana Sabir, said the attack was a provocative act and called for stringent action.

Meanwhile, security has been tightened in the area. PTI COR CDN VN VN