Tasleem Ali used to visit Indore once a year to sell bangles on Rakhi, Holi, or Diwali
Tasleem Ali, a 25-year-old bangle seller who was beaten up for allegedly concealing his identity while selling bangles in an Indore locality in August this year, walked out of prison last evening after spending 107 days at Indore Central Jail. He was arrested on August 24 on charges of molestation and forgery.
"I have not committed any sin or done anything wrong. If I had been a criminal, I would have fled the city. I myself went to the police station to file a complaint against those who beat me up and snatched away my money," he told reporters, reported news agency PTI.
"Instead, a case of molestation was filed against me despite the fact that I had not even seen the face of the (complainant) girl," Ali, who is from Uttar Pradesh, said.
Speaking to NDTV after his release, Ali said, "I wish the Hindu-Muslim unity remains intact in the country."
The police had earlier claimed that Tasleem Ali was found with two Aadhar cards - one in the name of "Asalim son of Mor Singh" and another in the name of "Taslim son of Mohar Ali".
Clarifying this, he told NDTV that during the allotment of a house under the PM Awas Yojna, his name was misspelt as 'Asalim'. The head of his village then asked him to get an Aadhaar card in this name to avail the benefit of the scheme.
In August, Tasleem Ali was thrashed by a group of locals in Indore for allegedly concealing his Muslim identity to sell bangles to Hindu women. In the video of the attack, which went viral on social media, several men were seen beating him, throwing his wares on the ground, and hurling expletives.
Some of the attackers had also snatched away his money. Following outrage over the incident, the police registered a case against four individuals who could be seen attacking him in the video. All four are out on bail at present.
A father of three girls, Ali used to visit Indore once a year to sell bangles on Rakhi, Holi, or Diwali. "But now I will not sell bangles. I will do some other business. Only Allah knows what I will do now. At present I just want to go back to my home," he told NDTV.