Muzaffarnagar: Muslim Woman’s Hijab Stripped Off, Hindu Man Accompanying Her Assaulted; 6 Arrested | WATCH

A Muslim woman was allegedly forced to remove her hijab and a Hindu man accompanying her was assaulted by a group of men in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar on Tuesday.

A video of the incident, which quickly went viral on social media, has sparked widespread outrage.

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In the footage, a man can be seen forcibly removing the woman's hijab, while others verbally abuse, harass, and physically attack both her and the man she was with.

The altercation took place in a narrow lane in the Khalapar area, where the pair - 20-year-old Saba* and a man named Ravi* - were heading to collect a loan instalment.

Saba, daughter of Ayesha*, is a resident of Khalapar and works for Utkarsh Small Finance Limited. She was accompanied by Ravi on a motorbike, as instructed by her mother.

During their journey, they were confronted by a group of 8-10 men who allegedly abused and assaulted them.

The incident was captured on a mobile phone by a bystander and circulated widely on social media platforms, drawing swift attention from the public and authorities.

Upon receiving information, the police promptly arrived at the scene, dispersed the mob, and safely escorted the pair to the police station.

A case was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita following a complaint lodged by Saba.

"On 12 April, between roughly 4 and 4:30 PM, a Hindu man from the Bhavan area and a Muslim woman from Khalapar, both associated with Utkarsh Small Finance Bank, were returning from Sujdu after collecting a loan instalment. They were stopped and assaulted by some locals in Darzi Wali Gali," stated Muzaffarnagar City Circle Officer (CO) Raju Kumar Sao.

Following the woman's complaint, six suspects were arrested. Later, the accused were seen limping at the police station while being escorted by officers, leading to social media speculation that the limping was staged.

"Further arrests will be made as more individuals are identified from the video. Strict legal action will be taken," added CO Raju Kumar Sao.

(* - names changed to protect identities)