BAREILLY, Uttar Pradesh - In a chilling incident that has exposed the depths of mob violence and communal hatred gripping India, a 30-year-old Muslim cleric, Maulana Tausif Raza Mazhari, was dragged, beaten, and thrown off a moving train by a group of unidentified assailants on April 26, 2026. His body was found near the railway tracks in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, the following morning.
The victim's wife, Tabassum Khatoon, was forced to watch the brutal assault live on a video call from their home in Bihar's Kishanganj district. Despite her desperate pleas for help, no one intervened.
According to Tabassum, her husband called her around 10:30 PM on April 26. He was traveling on a general coach of the Rishikesh-to-Muzaffarpur Special Train (Train No. 04314) after attending the annual 'Urs-e-Tajushsharia' religious gathering in Bareilly.
"I saw them dragging him by the collar, slapping him, and beating him. It was a very terrifying scene," Tabassum told reporters . "They were calling him a thief and accusing him of theft."
On the video call, the assailants forced the cleric to open his bag. "On the video call, he showed his books and bag, saying, 'I am not a thief, I teach at a madrasa.' I also pleaded with people on the call for help, but no one listened," she said .
An audio recording of the call, accessed by multiple news outlets, captures the cleric's desperate voice: "Tabassum, call the cops immediately, these people are thrashing me badly" . He can also be heard pleading with fellow passengers: "Brother, please see, these people are harassing me" .
The post-mortem report obtained by The Wire revealed horrific injuries: "multiple ante-mortem injuries, including fractures in all ribs" . The Times of India reported that the autopsy mentioned "five injuries on the face, shoulder and chest. His skull and all ribs were fractured" . The cause of death was determined to be hemorrhagic shock and coma.
"The nature of the injuries points toward an assault and not a mere fall," Tabassum said. "If he had fallen from a moving train, his body would have been badly damaged. But his body was intact, with clear signs of beating all over" .
Initially, the Bareilly police and railway authorities claimed that the cleric had died after accidentally falling from the train due to dozing off near the gate in excessive heat . The family has categorically rejected this claim.
"It appears they first assaulted him and then tried to convince others that he was a thief. This was done cleverly to turn the crowd against him," said Rizwan Alam, the victim's uncle .
"Based on the audio clip, we are 100% sure that he was killed on board the train and then the body was thrown away," said Tauheed Raza, the victim's younger brother .
Tabassum also noted that her husband's appearance-his beard and skullcap-may have made him a target .
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has demanded a high-level investigation into the incident. On May 2, party leaders submitted a memorandum to the District Magistrate in Bareilly addressed to the Railway Minister, demanding strict action against the culprits and compensation for the family .
"If such incidents are happening, then how can we say that crime has ended? Where are these attackers coming from?" questioned Raza's uncle .
The Bihar State Minorities Commission has also written to the National Minorities Commission demanding a high-level inquiry and strict legal action against those responsible .
Following the circulation of the audio recording and mounting public pressure, Bareilly SP (City) Manush Pareek stated that the family had been assured that an FIR would be lodged and necessary legal action taken once a formal complaint was filed .
"They were calling him a thief. He tried to prove his innocence by showing his books, but no one listened. My husband was killed deliberately. I want justice now," Tabassum told reporters .
