A hate-filled mob forced this freelance journalist to drop his pants to prove he was Hindu.
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00:00They told me to take off my pants.
00:02I took off my pants and they saw me.
00:05Then I closed my pants and they identified me as a Hindu.
00:30We were moving forward slowly, the light was on.
00:40We must have gone 100 meters inside.
00:43Some people stopped us there.
00:45They said, why are you making a video?
00:49We told them that we are from the media.
00:51They said, why are you making a video?
00:54I said, I am a journalist and this is my profession.
00:58We are not doing anything wrong.
01:00You are mistaken.
01:02They said, it's nothing.
01:04Then they asked us to stop the car.
01:06Then a motorcycle came.
01:08There were 2-3 boys in it.
01:10There were 5-6 people there.
01:12They asked us to show our I-cards.
01:14I was opening my bag.
01:16You can see my blood on it.
01:18I was opening my bag to take out my I-card.
01:23Then they started hitting us.
01:25I was shocked to see that there were 25-30 boys there.
01:33They were between 20-40 years of age.
01:36They had weapons in their hands.
01:38They had sharp weapons.
01:40They had sticks, iron pipes, sticks, sticks.
01:45There were 5-6 guns in that 20-25 crowd.
01:49One of the boys, who was continuously hitting me,
01:54he took out a revolver in front of me.
01:58I remember very well,
02:00there were 6 empty boxes.
02:03He fired a bullet in one of the boxes
02:07and shot me in the stomach.
02:10He shot me in the stomach
02:12and asked me why I had come to his area.
02:19I told him that you are mistaken.
02:22I am a Hindu.
02:24You can let me go.
02:26He asked me why I had come to his area.
02:29I told him that I am a journalist
02:31and I came here for reporting.
02:33I didn't know that this was a Hindu street.
02:35He asked me why I didn't go to the Muslim streets
02:39and why I didn't make a video of them.
02:42Why do you come to our streets
02:44to defame us?
02:46He removed my gun points
02:49and asked me to say Hanuman Chalisa.
02:51I said Hanuman Chalisa.
02:53I remember that I said Hanuman Chalisa.
02:56Then another boy came and asked me to say it again.
02:59I said it again.
03:01Then they asked me to take off my pants.
03:04I took off my pants.
03:06They saw it.
03:07Then I closed my pants.
03:09Then another boy came and asked me to take off my pants again.
03:11He took off my pants again.
03:13He identified that we are Hindus.
03:16He identified that we are Hindus
03:18by seeing our pants.
03:20Because we were not in danger.
03:22He wanted to know
03:24that we were from outside
03:26so why did we enter his area
03:28and why were we making a video
03:30of his area.
03:32The police told me to go away.
03:34The police didn't think it was necessary
03:36that they should take me for first aid.
03:38My I.E. card
03:40became my pants.
03:42And my life
03:44is only because of that
03:46that I am safe in this country.
03:48On 25th,
03:50it was my marriage anniversary.
03:52My wife called at night.
03:54I told her
03:56that I was busy
03:58in that area
04:00so I couldn't call.
04:02She was upset with me.
04:04I said sorry.
04:06I told her that I have to go
04:08to Dangagrasht area tomorrow morning
04:11to cover that area.
04:13She said okay.
04:15Take care.
04:17After the incident,
04:19my mother was crying.
04:21She is a diabetic patient.
04:23She has BP.
04:25Her father is a heart patient.
04:27Both of them
04:29were crying.
04:31BP was increasing.
04:33I have a 5 year old child.
04:35His birthday is on 11th March.
04:37He called
04:39and asked
04:41how I was feeling.
04:43Who were those people?
04:45Why did you go there?
04:47Why didn't you come now?