Anand Ranganathan once remarked that Hindus are second-class citizens in India. Many, including fellow Hindus, saw this as an exaggeration, but the events that are unfolding in India every coming day are in sync with what Anand said.
Recently, a Hindu student was tortured and assaulted for sharing a post on ‘Hinduism’ on his social media account. This may look shocking coming from the Hindus’s homeland, India, but unfortunately it’s true. The incident took place in the Sultanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. A social media post made by a boy named Ankit Tiwari, a student at MGS Inter College, on his religion became the premise of him being targeted by a group of individuals who, after assaulting him, forced him to apologize on camera. After the video of the forced apology of Ankit Tiwari went viral, it attracted widespread attention along with threats to the family of Ankit.
Mamta Tiwari, a resident of Tiwari Pur village in the Kurebhar area of Sultanpur district and the mother of Ankit, filed a complaint about the unfortunate incident that took place with her son. She claimed that Ankit, her son, posted a status related to Hinduism on his Instagram account this September that allegedly provoked a group of students, self-identified as ‘Team 1333’. This group, in order to assert their dominance, resorted to violence against her son, Ankit. On the 30th of September, while Ankit was on his way to college, members of ‘Team 1333’ that included Shahid Qureshi, Ayan Ahmed, and Hasnain assaulted him. Hasnain, who is active on Instagram as ‘Mr. Lumberdar 1333,’ along with his companions, threatened, attacked Ankit, and also forced him to record a video apology.
Mamta even stated that after the coerced apology video went viral, her family has been receiving continuous threats. Police investigations uncovered that ‘Team 1333’ is a religiously motivated group engaged in harassing and intimidating students of other faiths. The group maintains an active social media presence, frequently sharing content that promotes intolerance. Local police have registered a case against Shahid Qureshi, Ayan Ahmed, Hasnain, Anas, and Sujal Bharti for allegedly threatening and attacking Ankit.