File image of Uttar Pradesh Police. AFP

The Ghaziabad Police on Saturday arrested an employee of a temple in the Uttar Pradesh district after a purported video of the accused beating up a 14-year-old Muslim boy for drinking water from the temple went viral, reports said.

In the undated video, the accused asks the boy his name and his father’s name. When asked what he was doing in the temple, the boy said that he had come to the temple to drink water, which is when the man starts beating him.

Reports also said that the accused told the person taking the video to ensure that his own face and the boy’s face should be “clearly visible”.

The accused was identified by the police as 23-year-old Shringi Nandan Yadav, an engineering graduate, NDTV reported, adding that the Bihar native “is unemployed and was staying in the temple for the last three months”.

बच्चे को पीटकर विडीओ बनाने वाले अपराधी की गिरफ़्तारी की जानकारी @Uppolice द्वारा प्रसारित की गयी है,@NCPCR_ बच्चे को न्याय दिलाने के लिए प्रतिबद्ध है। pic.twitter.com/aS6NApn5Hp

— प्रियंक कानूनगो Priyank Kanoongo (@KanoongoPriyank) March 12, 2021

“Two videos have gone viral on social video. In one video, a man can be seen spitting on food items. He has been arrested and a case has been filed against him. The other video shows a child being beaten by a man. The accused has also been arrested and a case filed against him. The police, through these arrests, want to make it clear that those involved in such activities won’t be spared and action will be taken against them as per law,” a senior police officer was quoted as saying by the report.

Meanwhile, the boy’s father’s identity is being withheld to protect the child, Hindustan Times reported.

“My son stopped to drink water from a tap located inside the temple as he was thirsty. He was beaten up after they asked about his identity. He suffered a head injury. He generally doesn’t venture inside the temple, but this time he told me he was just very thirsty. I have asked him not to go there in the future,” the report quoted the father as saying.

The report added that the father is a daily wager and a scrap seller.

SP (Rural) Iraj Raja also said that the person recording the video, identified as a Shivanand, has also been arrested.

“After verifying the video, a case has been filed against Shringi and Shivanand under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 504 (insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the IPC and Sections of the IT Act). On Sunday, they were sent to jail. The sections we invoked are appropriate. Otherwise, they would have got bail from the police station,” Raja was quoted as saying by The Hindu.

“The police’s strong message is that in such cases, a case will be registered against such persons and legal actions will be taken,” Raja further said.

A report in Hindustan Times said that the accused have also been booked under Section 352 (assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation), and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief).

With inputs from PTI