A Muslim man was thrashed on a Kanpur street on Wednesday by alleged supporters of the Bajrang Dal and other Hindutva outfits who accused him of molesting a woman.

A video circulated on social media shows a girl, aged five or six, crying and trying to save a middle-aged man who is being punched, kicked and dragged along the road by a dozen-strong mob.

Local people told reporters the girl was the victim’s daughter and that many of the attackers were associated with Sangh parivar outfits.

The police have registered an FIR for “assault, rioting and threatening to kill” but not for spreading enmity among religious groups. No one has been arrested yet.

When The Telegraph rang Raveena Tyagi, deputy commissioner of police for South Kanpur Nagar, city police PRO Brijesh Kumar Singh took the call.

“The police registered a case immediately. A probe is in progress. Madam (Tyagi) has released a video of her statement on Twitter,” he said.

Tyagi says in the statement: “A video has come to light in which some people are beating a man in Kachchi Basti area near Ram Gopal Chauraha. We have registered a case against some identified and unidentified persons on the basis of a complaint from the victim. We are taking action against the accused.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Tyagi had told local reporters: “Afsar Ahmad, the victim, was accused by a woman on July 12 of inducing her to convert.”

Police sources said the woman had accused Afsar of offering her money to convert, which she rejected.

Afsar couldn’t be contacted.

“A few days later, Afsar’s wife accused the woman’s husband of molesting her. On July 31, the woman who had accused Afsar of inducement filed a fresh case of molestation against him,” Tyagi said.

She didn’t confirm the involvement of Hindutva outfits in the assault on Afsar and said Ajay Kumar, who runs a brass band, his son Don and eight to 10 unidentified people had attacked him.

“The police had rushed to the spot and saved Afsar,” Tyagi said. She did not explain why Ajay and Don had not been arrested.

Dilip Singh, district convener of the Bajrang Dal, said members of his group had grabbed Afsar and were taking him to the police station.

“The woman who was being induced to convert had come to us and we were taking the accused to the police station. We cannot sit silent if our sisters and daughters are targeted,” Singh said.

Told that the video showed the mob beating Afsar, he declined comment.

Police sources said they were probing the inducement and molestation allegations too.