Tamil Nadu: Juvenile among seven arrested for forcing woman to remove hijab in Vellore

Chennai: The Vellore North Police in Tamil Nadu on Thursday arrested seven people, including some Muslims and a juvenile, for forcing a woman to remove her hijab inside the historic Vellore Fort Complex three days ago.

The accused had taken a video of their act and circulated it on social media leading to their eventual arrest.

Accused film the crime

According to police, on Monday the Muslim woman and her male friend had visited the 16th century fort, a landmark in Vellore, when the accused accosted them. The accused persons then forcibly removed the woman’s hijab and filmed the same.

After the video was widely shared, the police swung into action and traced the accused who were identified as Ibrahim Pasha, Imran Pasha, Ashrap Pasha, Santhosh, Prasanth and Mohammed Faisal, all aged in their 20s and arrested them. A juvenile boy aged 17 years, who was part of the gang, was sent to a Government Observation Home.

“A case has been filed under the sections for cyberbullying and action is being taken. The accused men have been booked under Sections 153A and 504 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) r/w 4 of Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Woman Act,” a police officer said. The police also asked people not to share the video any more as it could lead to a communal flare up. “Those violating this would be book under the Information Technology Act and for cyberbullying,” the officer said.

Vellore has a significant Muslim population. The mobile phones of those arrested were sent to the cyber crime wing for analysis.