‘My faith teaches me to help others’: Noida woman harassed for standing up for Muslim couple

On the night of April 16, a man drinking beer in public allegedly harassed a Muslim couple, asking the burqa-clad woman for her ID and what they were doing in the White Orchid market in Noida’s Gaur City 2. 

Soumya, a 23-year-old, stepped in to confront the man and ask who gave him the authority to check someone’s identity. Later, she uploaded a video of the confrontation on Instagram.

She initially received praise for standing up, but she also began to face cyber bullying in the form of rape threats and death threats. 

Speaking to Newslaundry, she said, “People who are calling me anti-Hindu for defending a Muslim couple are showing their religion to be weak. Hinduism is not that weak. Our scriptures teach us to help others.”

The man in question was identified by the police as Mukesh Kumar. Based on a complaint filed by the couple, a case was registered at the Bisrakh police station under Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) Sections 170, 126, and 135. He was later released on bail. 

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