A 16-year-old Muslim boy was allegedly beaten up by a group of persons amid chants of 'Jai Shri Ram', after he was caught before boarding an express train at the Bandra railway terminus in suburban Mumbai with a teenage Hindu girl, who they claimed was kidnapped by him, the police said.
The incident occurred on July 21, but came to light when its video went viral on social media on Tuesday. But no case has been registered so far in connection with the assault, the police said on Wednesday.
The boy as well as the girl, who is 17 years old, are residents of Ambarnath in neighbouring Thane district, an official said.
"The incident took place on July 21, when the Muslim boy and the Hindu girl were caught by a group. The girl's family members had earlier lodged a complaint of her kidnapping in Ambarnath. After coming to know that the boy and the girl were at the Bandra railway terminus, around a dozen people reached the spot and found the two waiting there to board Awadh Express," he said.
The group caught hold of the boy and started assaulting him amid chants of 'Jai Shri Ram'," he said.
While bashing up the boy, they also dragged him out of the railway station by pulling his hair, he added.
"Someone present at the spot captured the incident on his mobile phone camera, and the video went viral on social media on Tuesday, following which the local police as well as the GRP swung into action and launched a probe," another official said.
After assaulting the boy, the group members took him to Nirmal Nagar police station located in Bandra East. But as the kidnapping case of the girl was registered in Ambarnath, he was handed over to the police there, he said.
An official of Nirmal Nagar police station said since the incident of assault occurred in the railway station premises, the GRP was informed about it for a probe.
"We made a station diary entry in connection with the incident," he said.
A Bandra GRP official said that after receiving a letter from the Nirmal Nagar police about the incident, a first information report (FIR) for rioting and assault was registered against the unidentified persons.
"The GRP is the complainant in the case as it has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident...We have identified the assaulted boy and contacted his family members," he said.
The people who assaulted the boy can be clearly seen in the viral video, he said, adding that no arrest has been made so far.
