The alleged unprovoked attack has raised concerns over whether the student was targeted because of his identity.
Published Oct 01, 2025 | 9:35 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 01, 2025 | 9:35 PM
The alleged assailants have been named as Laxman, Deepak, Bharath, Chandra Kanth, and others.
Synopsis: A 25-year-old Muslim engineering student, Nehan Ali Khan, was allegedly assaulted by a group of men during a Dandiya event at The Park Hotel in Panjagutta, Hyderabad, on 29 September night. Following his complaint, police identified several alleged assailants and have booked them under multiple sections of the BNS, 2023, treating the case as coordinated group violence.
What was meant to be an evening of festive celebration turned into a nightmare for a 25-year-old engineering student in Hyderabad, Telangana, who was allegedly assaulted at a Dandiya event in the upscale Panjagutta area.
The incident took place at The Park Hotel near Raj Bhavan Chilla around 10.15 pm on Sunday, 29 September, a little over two hours after the student, identified as Nehan Ali Khan, and his friends, including a companion named Karthikeya, had arrived to take part in the Garba-Dandiya festivities.
According to his complaint filed at Panjagutta police station later that night, Khan was playing Dandiya when a group of unknown men approached him and asked his name.
When he responded, they allegedly turned violent without warning and attacked him with their hands, striking his arms, shoulders and other parts of his body.
“Some unknown persons approached me, asked my name, and when I replied, they suddenly started assaulting me with their hands on my arms, shoulders, and other parts of my body,” the complaint reads.
The alleged unprovoked attack has raised concerns over whether the student was targeted because of his identity.
“I managed to escape from their clutches and reached Panjagutta police station with the help of police, and later I came to know that some of the assailants were identified as Laxman, Deepak, Bharath, Chandra Kanth, and others,” the complaint continues.
Khan said he broke free from his attackers and, with police assistance, reached the station to file a complaint. The alleged assailants have been named as Laxman, Deepak, Bharath, Chandra Kanth, and others.
Based on the complaint, police have booked the accused under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 relating to unlawful assembly (Section 189), criminal force and assault (Section 329), voluntarily causing hurt (Section 115) and common intention (Section 3). Officials said the case is being treated as an instance of coordinated group violence.
The investigation is underway.
(Edited by Dese Gowda with inputs from Sumit Jha)
