Inter-faith teen couple tries to elope, mob thrashes boy in Mumbai | Mumbai News – Times of India

MUMBAI: After videos of an underage Muslim boy being bashed up by a sloganeering mob at Bandra Terminus went viral over social media, the Bandra GRP registered an FIR late on Wednesday against members of the mob. The incident dates back to July 21 when an underage couple belonging to different faiths eloped from Ambernath and reached Bandra Terminus to leave the city. While police said the members of the mob were local residents of Ambernath, sources told TOI that the mob included supporters of a right-wing political outfit. Charges of rioting, unlawful assembly and assault have been slapped against more than five unknown accused persons.

The couple are college-goers and classmates. The girl is 16 while the boy is a year older than her. On July 21, the girl left home for a computer class at 4 pm. But when she did not return, her family got worried. They inquired at her class and were told that she had not attended. The family then approached the Ambernath police station. As the girl is a minor, the police registered a case of kidnapping as per Supreme Court guidelines. While the Ambernath police began to probe, the girl sent out acquaintances to railway termini to look for her. Sources said the family also got in touch with supporters of a right-wing outfit. They were able to track down the couple to Bandra Terminus.
The mob then rained blows on the boy even as the girl pleaded with them to let him go. The videos of the assault, posted on social media late on Tuesday, show around 8 to 10 persons. The mob dragged the boy by his hair outside the Terminus, while chanting slogans. One of the attackers addressed the camera and said that they had “saved the minor girl.” The mob took the boy to Nirmal Nagar police station where the cops sent him for a medical examination. The Nirmal Nagar police informed the Ambernath police as a case had already been registered there. A team from Ambernath police came down and took the couple with them. Being minors, they were handed over to their respective families.

The boy was served a notice and asked to remain present before a Court for Juveniles on July 24. “The boy neither informed us nor the court about the assault,” said S Kalmaskar, senior police inspector of Ambernath police station. After analysing the videos on Wednesday, the Bandra GRP reached out to the boy’s family. They were told that the boy had been sent to their hometown. The police then registered an FIR on their own accord on the basis of the videos and records with the Nirmal Nagar police.
“Deeply disturbed by the horrifying incident at Bandra Terminus. Violence and hate have no place in our society. Such acts of violence based on religion or any other pretext are unacceptable. Authorities must verify the video first and take appropriate action,” Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Khan told mediapersons.