Woman stripped off Hijaab, Hindu man beaten in UP's Muzaffarnagar

A shocking incident of public harassment and communal targeting unfolded in the Khalapar locality of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, where a group of men forcibly removed a woman’s hijab and physically assaulted the Hindu man accompanying her. The disturbing event, captured on a mobile phone, quickly went viral and triggered massive outrage on social media.

The incident occurred on April 12 around 4 PM in Darzi Wali Gali, a narrow lane in the densely populated Khalapar area. The woman, 20-year-old Farheen, and a man named Sachin were traveling on a motorcycle after collecting a loan installment. Both are associated with a microfinance firm, Utkarsh Small Finance Limited, and were reportedly following instructions from Farheen’s mother.

As they made their way through the lane, a group of 8 to 10 men intercepted them. The mob hurled abuses, pulled off Farheen’s hijab, and proceeded to assault both individuals. The bystander video shows clear acts of physical aggression and intimidation, which has since drawn sharp criticism online.

Police acted swiftly after the video went viral. A team rushed to the scene, dispersed the gathering, and brought both Farheen and Sachin safely to the police station. A formal complaint was registered by Farheen, following which six men identified from the video were arrested.

Authorities confirmed that further action is underway. “More arrests will follow as additional culprits are identified from the video footage,” said Muzaffarnagar City Circle Officer Raju Kumar Sao. The police have booked the accused under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Interestingly, after the arrest, all six accused were seen limping while being brought into custody, which led to speculation on social media that the limping was either staged or a result of police retaliation. Officials did not comment on this speculation but reaffirmed that the law will take its due course.