WR Desk: An elderly Muslim man being humiliated and assaulted in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad has drawn attention on social media. It is claimed that he was stopped and beaten while carrying chicken during the Hindu month of Sawan.

According to the information circulating with the video, the incident took place in the Sihani area of Ghaziabad, after the man had travelled from Delhi’s Ghazipur wholesale market with chicken. Members of the Hindu Raksha Dal are alleged to have stopped him and objected to his carrying chicken during Sawan.

The video, which has been widely shared online, shows the elderly man being confronted by several people. In parts of the footage, men can be seen pushing and hitting him, while his belongings are reportedly thrown away.

The incident has led to criticism from people who say that a person’s religious identity or the month in which an incident takes place cannot give private individuals the right to stop, threaten or assault someone.

The allegations centre on Hindu Raksha Dal member Prince Thakur and others who were reportedly present at the scene. According to the claims accompanying the viral footage, the men stopped the Muslim man and questioned him about carrying chicken during Sawan.

The man was allegedly subjected to abuse before being physically attacked. The footage circulating online has become the main focus of public discussion, although the full circumstances surrounding the incident still need to be established through a police investigation.

The episode has also raised a wider question about the limits of private groups in enforcing religious or social restrictions. Even where a community has particular practices during a religious period, enforcement of the law remains the responsibility of the authorities rather than private groups.

The strongest criticism on social media has been directed at the reported police response.

According to the claims circulating with the video, police officers arrived at the scene after the confrontation. Instead of immediately taking action against those accused of assaulting the man, the police allegedly took the Muslim man with them.

This has led to accusations that the person who was attacked was treated as the problem rather than those accused of attacking him.