Godhara: Police today said that the allegations that three Muslim youths were allegedly beaten up in Godhara town of Central Gujarat late last night by a group of unknown people for not chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ was not correct.

Siddiq Abdul Salam, a 40 year old motor mechanic and resident of Mohamadi mohalla in the town which was headquarter of Panchmahal district, had lodged an FIR in Godhara A division police station late last night claiming that his son Samir (17) and two of his friends Salman and Sohel were beaten up for not chanting Jai Shri Ram near Baba ni Madhi locality by 6 unknown youths aged between 20 to 30. He had in his complaint said that his son and two of his friends who also lived close-by had gone to take a round of the market at around 10 pm last night when the six unknown people sitting on two motorcycles stopped them and asked them to chant Jai Shri Ram and when they refused to do so, they beat them up.

The assailants fled when hearing the shouts local people gathered . The trio were admitted to local civil hospital for treatment. Siddiq later told newsmen that the incident took place at a distance of around a km from his place in a ‘Hindu locality’.

But SP Leena Patel said that during the primary investigation it has come to fore that it was not about chanting any religious slogan. ‘We have obtained CCTV footage and have verified that it was seemingly a case of quarrel and the version regarding it being a result of not chanting Jai Shri Ram was wrong,’ She said.

We have also seen in the footage that they were driving motorcycles side by side and having heated exchange of words. The matter is being investigated but it has nothing to do with any religious slogan.

DeshGujarat