Elderly man assaulted in train on suspicion of carrying beef, video viral

An elderly Muslim man was allegedly assaulted by co-passengers in an express train near Igatpuri in Maharashtra's Nashik district on suspicion that he was carrying beef, the Government Railway Police (GRP) said on Saturday, 31 August.

The GRP has initiated a probe after a video of the alleged incident, which took place earlier this week, surfaced on social media, an official said. The video shows several people physically assaulting a man and verbally abusing him inside a train.

According to the GRP, the victim, Haji Ashraf Munyar, a resident of Jalgaon district, was travelling to his daughter's house in Kalyan when he was allegedly beaten up by his co-passengers near Igatpuri on the suspicion that he was carrying beef.

"We have taken cognisance of the video and identified the victim. Some of the people involved in the attack have also been identified, and a probe is on," the official said, adding that no case has been registered so far.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the railways has made big strides in addressing long-standing issues and will not stop till it becomes a guarantee of comfortable travel for all sections of society.

The prime minister made these remarks during the virtual flag-off ceremony of three Vande Bharat Express trains. "Through its hard work over the years, the railways has made big strides in addressing long-standing issues and offered new hopes and solutions. We will not stop until Indian Railways becomes a guarantee of comfortable travel for everyone," Modi said.

The three trains flagged off by the prime minister connect Meerut with Lucknow, Madurai with Bengaluru, and Chennai with Nagercoil. The Meerut City-Lucknow Vande Bharat Express will help passengers save around one hour compared to the current fastest train between the two cities.

Similarly, the Chennai Egmore-Nagercoil Vande Bharat Express and the Madurai-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express will cut down the travel time by more than two hours and around one-and-a-half hours respectively.