Representative image of a registered FIR.
Credit: iStock Photo
Barabanki: A man was allegedly abused, assaulted and forced to wash a "tilak" off his forehead by a shopkeeper at the Deva Sharif shrine in this Uttar Pradesh district on Thursday, police said.
The man had visited the dargah along with a woman to offer a "chadar".
The incident came to light after a video surfaced showing a man wearing a cap holding the victim by his arms and taking him to a nearby shop, where water was poured on his head to remove the "tilak".
Victim Harish Sharma, a resident of Dussehra Bagh in the City Kotwali area, has submitted a written complaint at the Deva police station. In his complaint, Sharma has said he had gone to the shrine along with his neighbour, Ayesha Bano, to offer a "chadar". While the woman went inside the shrine, Sharma was eating snacks outside when a shopkeeper allegedly abused him, slapped him and forced him to wash off the "tilak" on his forehead, the complaint says.
Sharma has alleged that he was subjected to misbehaviour and physical assault during the altercation. The entire incident was captured on video.
Ayesha Bano corroborated the victim's account, stating that Sharma had accompanied her to the shrine and was assaulted by the shopkeeper, who also forced him to remove his "tilak".
Police said the accused shopkeeper has been taken into custody on the basis of the complaint and is being questioned. Video footage related to the incident has also been included in the investigation to ascertain the sequence of events.
Senior Sub-Inspector Dharmendra Pratap Singh said a case will be registered under relevant sections based on the viral video and the victim's complaint. "The video is being examined and further legal action will be taken on the basis of facts. Strict action will be taken against anyone found guilty," he said.