Muslim man escaped lynching by wearing burqa at Agra railway station

AGRA: The extent of insecurity and fear the murderous mobs instill among Muslim minorities is evident from the recent incident which left even the senior police officers baffled.

A 42-year-old burqa-clad man was caught at the Agra railway station on Sunday afternoon.

According to Times of India reports, the man identified as Nazmul Hassan, an assistant engineer in Aligarh’s Kasimpur power station told the Government Railway Police (GRP) officials that he dons burqa to conceal his identity because he was scared of being lynched for being a Muslim.

The incident came to light after travellers alerted GRP officials, who after observing his suspicious movements, detained him.

Hassan in a statement to the police said that he is a frequent traveler to Delhi since he has to look after his ailing cousin.

Last week, while getting down from a train, he accidentally pushed a man, who, in full public view, hurled communal slurs and threaten him openly. Others also joined terrorizing to make his life difficult in the city.

Disturbed and frighten after the altercation, he dons burqa. “I had read about Junaid’s killing in a train in Ballabhgarh a few days ago. I was scared for my life after the threat, but couldn’t avoid travelling. So I thought of wearing a burqa,” Hassan told cops.

After questioning, the police verified his claims and Hassan was released when nothing suspicious was found in his statement.

“When Hassan was handed over to the GRP, he was crying and shaking and kept repeating that he is a simple man who has never done anything wrong,” Senior superintendent of police Rajesh Pandey told TOI.