On August 13, the West Bengal unit of the BJP released a video showing a Hindu man who was allegedly assaulted by an angry Muslim mob after he responded to a ‘Salam Alaikum’ greeting with ‘Jai Shri Ram.’
The incident occurred in Ward No. 5 of Paik Para in the Nimta locality of Kolkata. The victim, Biswajit Mondal, recounted, “At 9 pm the previous evening, an elderly Muslim man walked past my house and greeted me with ‘Salam Alaikum.’ I replied with ‘Jai Shri Ram.’”
Biswajit Mondal, a resident of Nimta Paikpara's Ward 5, had his house vandalized by 150-200 Rohingyas who entered his home, broke his belongings, and broke his idols. What was his crime? When a Muslim person greeted him with "Salalam Alaikum", he replied with "Jai Shri Ram".… pic.twitter.com/xgolb5iFpz
— BJP West Bengal (@BJP4Bengal) August 13, 2024
“After I said ‘Jai Shri Ram,’ a mob of 150-200 Rohingyas and Bangladeshi extremists surrounded my house,” Mondal reported. “They broke into the building, ransacked it, and vandalized everything, including the doors, almirahs, and even the idol of Lord Hanuman. The nose of the idol has been shattered,” he recounted.
“They left us in a bloodied state, and my wife was also assaulted,” Mondal recounted. His wife added that she pleaded with the attackers to spare them, but her pleas went unheard. “They also touched me inappropriately,” she continued. “They threatened that if we wanted to stay alive, we would have to leave the area. They warned us that they wouldn’t let us live here peacefully and said they would return later that night.”
“Even though I am Hindu, I bowed before 10-12 Muslims and begged them to stop the beating. I pleaded with them, saying I was like their sister, but they ignored my pleas,” the woman added.
The victims said that the Muslim mob used whips to attack the Hindu man. Biswajit Mandal, a BJP member who ran in the panchayat elections, was the one targeted. In the video shared by BJP Bengal, he said, “I am a strict Hindu, but I haven’t been taught to hate Muslims.”
