A muezzin in Hooghly’s Chinsurah said he was slapped by an unidentified youth for refusing to chant “Jai Shri Ram” in the early hours of Wednesday.
Mohammed Sufiuddin, 54, a resident of Chakbazar in Chinsurah, said that around 3.45am on Wednesday, he was riding a bicycle to the mosque from his home when three motorcycle-borne youths accosted him near the Chakbazar More and asked him to chant “Jai Shri Ram”.
“I told them about my religious identity and requested them not to force me to chant the slogan. At this, one of the youths slapped me hard and I fell down with my cycle. As I cried in pain, the youths escaped from the scene. There was no one around as it was too early in the morning,” said Sufiuddin.