Two men have been arrested in India after a violent assault on a 14-year-old Muslim boy who entered a Hindu temple to drink water, police say.
Footage of the incident, which took place in Ghaziabad in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, sparked outrage after it was widely shared online last week.
In the video, which was posted on Instagram, one man can be seen hitting and kicking the boy like a second person filmed it.
Rights groups have expressed concern about an apparent increase in such assaults.
In Uttar Pradesh, according to Human Rights Watch, there has been an increase in reported attacks on minorities, including Muslims, by “extremist Hindu groups” in recent years.
Some Hindu temples in India do not allow access to non-Hindus, and the website in Ghaziabad had a sign that it was ‘forbidden’ for Muslims to enter, the Indian Express newspaper reported.
Dispute account disputed
The incident involving the boy in Ghaziabad, named Asif, allegedly took place last Thursday and was later posted online by one of the suspects, police said.
It showed how the teenager was hit in the head, forced on the ground and then repeatedly kicked, also in the groin.
Asif’s father – who is not mentioned in the report – told The Indian Express that his son ‘was in the area when he was thirsty … he saw a tap at the temple and started drinking’.
However, managers of the Hindu temple in Ghaziabad questioned whether the incident was a dispute over water, saying that there was a tap outside and that Asif should not enter the temple grounds.
Ghaziabad police named the suspect as Shringi Nandan Yadav, a resident of the city of Bhagalpur in the state of Bihar. They said he told them he was working as a caretaker at the temple where the alleged assault took place.
Another man, just named Shivanand, has been arrested in connection with the filming of the incident, police confirmed Sunday.
Ghaziabad police chief Kalanidhi Naithani said the main suspect was arrested shortly after the incident was first reported, and that strict action would be taken.
The reaction on social media was quick – and angry.
“What kind of sick person [do] you have to be to ruthlessly assault a child? ‘tweeted journalist Rifat Jawaid.
Another Twitter user, local news reporter Navya Singh, wrote: ‘This incident is not only brutal, but also shows how boldly the attacker shared the video on social media. ‘
Indian opposition politician Tejashwi Yadav tweeted that Asif was the victim of a ‘toxic ideology that teaches people not to be human’.
The hashtag #SorryAsif has been trending on Twitter for most of the weekend.