Thrashed by mob for ‘molesting minor’ & sent to Indore jail, Muslim bangle seller acquitted 3 yrs on

The 25-yr-old from UP, who is from banjara community, was also accused of using fake ID cards, but an MP court has cleared him of all charges. Family says won't set foot in MP again.

File photo of the lane where Tasleem Ali was accused of having misbehaved with a minor while selling bangles to her, in Indore | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

Bhopal: Thrashed, threatened, abused and then jailed for nearly four months way back in 2021, bangle seller Tasleem Ali is a relieved man today. The man from Uttar Pradesh was acquitted of all charges, including that of molesting a minor girl in Indore, by a court in Madhya Pradesh.

Among various charges, the 25-year-old was accused of hiding his identity when he was out on the narrow lanes of Banganaga in Indore while selling bangles. Videos had gone viral in which the Hardoi resident was seen being assaulted by an angry crowd, an incident that took place 22 August, 2021.

Subsequently, it was alleged that Tasleem tried to molest a minor girl, while trying to sell bangles. In the FIR, he was booked under seven sections including 354 of the Indian Penal Code (outraging modesty of a woman) as well as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. 

The minor had alleged that Tasleem had held her hand and touched her cheeks with the intention of molesting her and told her, ‘Tum kitni sundar dikhti ho‘ (You look very pretty). Ali had threatened to kill her, according to the FIR that was based on the statement given by the girl. 

However, three years down the line, as the case reached the additional sessions court, the minor made a U-turn in her statement. 

“She does not recognise Tasleem and has never seen him. She also maintained that she did not know about the incident that happened on 22 August. She stated that she was inside her house when there was an argument outside her home in her locality, but she had no knowledge about the incident nor why it had happened. Along with the minor, both her parents also denied knowing Tasleem,” Tasleem’s lawyer Aslim Ali told ThePrint. 

While he was accused of having a voter card and an Aadhaar card with different names, investigation showed that both Tasleem and his father had different names in official documents. When an investigation team reached his village in Hardoi, it was learnt that the father was identified as Mohar Singh and Mohar Ali while Tasleem was known as Golu, Bhura, and Asleem. 

“After investigating, and cross-questioning the witnesses, it has not been established that the accused held the minor’s hand or used force with an intention to molest her. Nor is there any evidence that he threatened the minor. Further it could not be established that Tasleem intentionally tried to mislead the minor’s parents by showing any fraudulent identity card and thereby he is acquitted of all charges,” judge Rashmi Walter wrote in her order Monday. 

Tasleem was simply selling bangles, when a handful of people came up to him, asked for his identity and began thrashing him, lawyer Aslim Ali told ThePrint. 

“They also made a video of the incident but after the video went viral, it created an uproar. Tasleem reached the police station and registered a case against the people who had beaten him. They turned up at the police station two days later and registered a fraudulent case of molestation against Tasleem. We proved before the court that his documents had multiple names owing to an error and the fact that the minor had changed her statement,” the lawyer said.

After stepping out of jail, the bangle seller from the banjara community as well as his brothers stopped coming to Indore due to the bitter experience. 

“We have now rented a small shop in Maharashtra’s Akola and stopped selling bangles door to door. We might not make as much money, and have to also pay rent for the shop, but what happened with my brother taught us that it is better to earn less with respect rather than being abused for no fault of ours,” Tasleem’s younger brother Irfan Ali told ThePrint.

(Edited by Tony Rai)