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Bareilly: Two youths, who were allegedly harassed and slapped by an activist linked to a Hindutva outfit when they were heading for the Jantar Mantar protest over NEET paper leak, have asked the government and police to take strict legal action against the culprit.

A video of the July 25 incident appeared on social media, in which the accused, identified as Satyam Pandit, is purportedly seen asking the two youths their names, address and religion, drawing outrage with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and demanding the arrest of the accused.

Ayush Ranjan and Rahul Pal, barely in their 20s, are residents of Bareilly’s Mahadev locality, where police have stepped up security since the incident.

Youth assaulted when heading towards Jantar Mantar on July 25

According to the youths, Ayush had arrived in Delhi with his friend Rahul to participate in the student protest demanding the resignation of the then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak issue. The two had travelled to Delhi on July 23 and spent the night at a gurudwara.

Ayush said that on the morning of July 25, while they were heading towards Jantar Mantar, a car pulled up in front of them. Some youngsters stepped out and began assaulting them and hurling abuses.

Ayush alleged that one of the assailants identified himself as Satyam Pandit. He said that although police were present nearby at the time of the incident, he felt his grievances would not be heard there, so he did not lodge a complaint on the spot.

He has now demanded strict legal action against the accused.

Station House Officer of Fareedpur police station Radheshyam said that “Ayush Ranjan and Rahul Pal — both residents of the Mahadev locality in Fareedpur police station area — face no danger.” Police presence in the area has been increased, he said.

Abuse caught on video

In the video, Satyam Pandit is seen slapping one of the two protestors and hurling abuses at them. Despite repeated attempts, Satyam Pandit could not be contacted for comments.

In a post on X in Hindi on July 25, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said, “Everyone should take note of the misconduct, abusive language, and violence perpetrated by the BJP and its associates…. Arrest them immediately! BJP members do not even honour their own word. The opposite of trust is the BJP.”

President of SP district unit Shublesh Yadav said that the Samajwadi Party stands with students and the youth to protect their democratic rights. He demanded that the Centre should conduct an impartial inquiry into the entire matter and take strict action against the guilty.