A few bystanders stepped in, wrestled the knife away from the assailant, and held him down until police arrived. He has since been identified as 48-year-old Peter Michael Larsen, who allegedly admitted to officers that he had deliberately targeted Sohailuddin because of his faith and meant to kill him.

The attack took place on 13 July, and disturbing footage of it soon made its way across social media.

Sohailuddin remains in critical condition at a hospital in West Valley City. Back home in Toli Chowki, his family is now appealing to the government for urgent help. They have asked External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to step in, take up the matter with US authorities, and help arrange visas so they can travel to be by his side.

The news has left the family shattered. His wife, Amreen Firdouse, fainted upon hearing what had happened. The couple has two young children, aged five and three. Sohailuddin’s sister-in-law, Asma Firdouse, has appealed to the minister to ensure at least two family members are granted emergency visas so they can reach him.

Amjed Ullah Khan, spokesman for the Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT), visited the family to offer his support. He has written to Jaishankar, urging the Indian embassy in Washington, DC, to reach out to Sohailuddin without delay, coordinate with local authorities and provide all the consular assistance he and his family may need.

Khan has also asked the minister to raise the matter with the US Embassy in New Delhi and the US Consulate in Hyderabad, requesting that emergency humanitarian visas be issued to the victim’s close family members without further delay.

(With IANS inputs)