The man assaulted by a group of Kanwariyas in Haridwar on July 10 has claimed to be a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The man, identified as Pratap Singh, was assaulted by a group of Kanwariyas after his car accidentally hit a kanwar. 

The Kanwariyas also allegedly vandalised his car before assaulting him in Haridwar.

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Speaking to The Indian Express, Singh claimed that he is a BJP-RSS member and that the assaulters thought he was a Muslim since he was wearing a black cap, had a beard and also had a burqa-clad woman accompanying him.

 “They let the woman go, but tried to manhandle me,” he added, reported The Indian Express.

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Police have registered an FIR in connection with the incident  under Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with a deadly weapon), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 427 (mischief causing damage) of the IPC and arrested two people.

Singh in his statement mentioned that he was trying to help the woman drop her son at a madrasa. On their way back, the car accidentally hit the Kanwar “after which a mob gathered and tried to pull me out, calling me a Muslim and asking others to beat me up,” he said.

In a video statement issued by Haridwar police, SSP Ajai Singh confirmed the incident between the Kanwariyas and RSS member Pratap Singh. 

“A few days ago, local resident Pratap Singh was in his car in Manglaur town, and he accidentally hit a kanwar placed (on the road), causing it to be damaged. Following an altercation, some agitated Kanwariyas vandalised his car and overturned it.” 

Another FIR was lodged under IPC section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony) against those allegedly trying to spread fake information and causing communal tension.

“Some people are making communal comments and highlighting the incident using different religions. But there is nothing like that,” said SSP Singh.