Three Muslim boys `attacked' for not saying Shri Ram in Godhra; FIR Registered

Samir and his friends who were injured were taken to the civil hospital by some local people, said police inspector H C Rathva.

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Godhra: Three Muslim boys were allegedly thrashed by six unidentified men for refusing to say "Shri Ram" in Gujarat's Godhra town, police said on Friday. Siddique Bhagat, the complainant, claimed that six unidentified men on two motorcycles stopped his son Samir (17), and his friends Salman Gheeteli and Sohail Bhagat when the trio were returning home on motorbike on Thursday night. "The accused asked my son and his friends to chant `Shri Ram'. When the boys refused, they started thrashing them. One of them hit Samir with a bicycle chain on forehead while another man hit Salman on head with a blunt object," he said. "Before leaving, the assailants threatened to kill them if they were seen again in the area," stated the First Information Report (FIR) registered at Godhra Town police station. Samir and his friends who were injured were taken to the civil hospital by some local people, said police inspector H C Rathva. "As the victims are not in a position to speak right now, we do not have more details. We have registered an FIR against six unidentified persons," Rathva added. Incidents of members of the minority community being assaulted for refusing to say `Jai Shri Ram' have been reported from several parts of the country recently.