A Muslim college student has said he was beaten by a gang of vigilante thugs for posing with five female Hindu classmates. Muhammad Riyaz, 20, was reportedly in the corner of a photo taken in India's conservative city of Mangalore which spread on WhatsApp and came to the attention of so-called 'moral police'. Speaking from his hospital bed, he said a gang kidnapped him and beat him mercilessly, demanding to know the location of his friend who had lain across the girls' laps. Offending image: Muhammad Riyaz, 20, was reportedly the student on the left-hand side of this photo taken in Mangalore, India, which spread on WhatsApp and came to the attention of so-called 'moral police' It is believed the photograph was first circulated on February 22 after being taken at a college in the suburb of Surathkal where Mr Riyaz studied computer science. It quickly caused ripples in the morally conservative part of India, causing 'emotional outbursts' among other students, the college claimed. Events came to a head when Mr Riyaz received a phone call from friends after a vigilante group had persuaded fellow college students to identify him. He said he went to a friend's house where a gang of men appeared and dragged him into a car, driving him to the edge of the city. While they beat him - including with wooden sticks - they demanded to know where his friend was and why he, a Muslim, had taken a photo with Hindu girls, he said. His ordeal lasted several hours, after which he was abandoned three miles from home and left to find his way to getting medical help. According to The News Minute, the student said: 'We were outside near the gate, when a Maruti 800 car came and they asked me something. Then suddenly, they just hold of me and dragged me into the car. 'All of us have been very close since the first year. If we were not close, would the girls permit it? 'See the photo. They are all smiling. If it was forced, then would the girls be smiling?' Assistant Commissioner of Police Ravi Kumar told The Indian Express: 'After the photograph was circulated on social media sites, a vigilante group got other students from the college to identify the deviant youth and on learning that he was probably a Muslim, decided to attack him.' Officers say Mr Riyaz's friend has gone into hiding rather than seek police protection, afraid that he will receive the same treatment from the mob. Despite the student's ordeal, the response from his college was initially unsympathetic. The five girls and one of the boys were suspended four days after the incident, and one teacher told an Indian news channel she was 'ashamed' of the way they had behaved by posing for the photo. However, the teacher added that she felt 'really sorry' for the students in the photo, who may yet be pardoned by their school. The city is in a part of India with several right-wing conservative Hindu groups, the most extreme of which are dubbed 'moral police'. Last month Hindu pressure groups said would confront unmarried couples in the street on Valentine's Day and demand they wed on the spot.
Muhammad Riyaz was part of playful group in city of Mangalore, India . He sat next to five female classmates while a friend lay across their laps . Photo spread on WhatsApp and was noticed by so-called 'moral police'
Mr Riyaz, 20, said gang beat him demanding to know where friend was . He said from hospital bed: 'If it was forced, would the girls be smiling?'