Jalna: An Imam who led the prayer at a Masjid in Maharashtra's Anwa village was attacked by unidentified individuals who entered the place of worship and beat him up for refusing to chant 'Jai Shri Ram'. The incident took place on Sunday at around 7:30pm.

According to sources, Imam, Maulana Zakir Syed Khaja was reading Quran inside the Masjid when unidentified individuals entered the mosque with cloth over their faces and forced the Imam to chant 'Jai Shri Ram'. When the Maulana Zakir refused to do, three individuals took him outside the mosque and beat him up.

The Imam said that assaulters used a chemical-laced cloth to make him unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he realized that his beard had also been trimmed.

A case has been registered at Paradh police station in Bhokardan.