Mohammed Rabbani at the hospital. Picture by Manik Bose

Ranchi, Feb. 17: The BJP today threatened to launch an agitation protesting against the attack on Mohammed Rabbani, a member of its minority front.

District president of the party, Gama Singh, confirmed this today, after Rabbani was allegedly targeted by members of his community, for his affiliation with the BJP on Saturday.

Singh said it was a matter of concern that a member of the minority community was targeted for his association with a national party. “We will not tolerate such attacks on our supporters,” he said after his visit to the Guru Nanak Hospital where Rabbani was undergoing treatment. Former chief minister Arjun Munda accompanied him.

Rabbani was a former state general secretary of the BJP Minority Front. A group of 150 youths targeted his house at Pathal Kudwa under the Lower Bazaar police station of the city and stabbed him. Rabbani was admitted to the hospital and the police had lodged an FIR naming five in this connection. The accused are — Salman, Aziz, Safique, Saddam and Chotu. No one has been arrested so far.

A few minutes after the attack, Rabbani said, his party leaders felt that he was targeted for his affiliation with the BJP, which is supposed to be anti-Muslim party in the area. Party leaders took serious note to his complaint.

Officer-in-charge of the Lower Bazaar police station, K.K. Sahu, did not find any logic behind the agitation. “It is wrong to politicise the issue. The attack on Rabbani had nothing to take with his political affiliation. The reason behind the attack was his involvement in a dispute that arose between his nephew and a few other boys,” he said.

Sources, however, said that Rabbani was never respected in his community because of his political affiliation.

A resident said: “The attack was politically motivated before the civic body election. A group of youths intercepted Rabbani’s nephew when he was on way to attend his tuition classes and then thrashed him. They also attacked their house.”

Another resident, however, said that Rabbani and his nephew did not have a good relation with locality residents. “They would harass the residents and take advantage of their political affiliation,” said the resident.