Sunday, May 07, 2017

Another day, Another attack: Muslim man lynched, Hindu farmers brutally beaten by cow vigilantes

Lynchings, mob attacks, vigilantism--that seems to have become the order of the day in India.

A Muslim man was beaten to death in his house in Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh, just because he was supportive of an inter-religious marriage.

The Hindu Yuva Vahini members barged into his house, abducted middle-aged Ghulam Muhammad, took him away and thrashed him until he died.

The Hindu Yuva Vahini is an extremist Hindu group, which was formed by Yogi Adityanath, who is now UP's chief minister.

Locals said that members of the Vahini were behind the attack and murder. There are barely a couple of Muslim families in this village in Bulandshahar. Now, after the incident, they plan to move out.

From Pahlu Khan to Akhlaq, from Mazloom Ansari to Najeeb Ahmad, the stories of Muslim men disappearing--either killed, lynched or taken away, never to return, it is becoming a regular affair now.

As private armies or right-wing Hindu militias keep growing in size, the incidents are increasing. Along with Muslims, a few Hindus here and there too bear the brunt of these attacks. In North India, the situation is worst.

The other incident took place close to national capital Delhi. It happened in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh. Two Hindu farmers were brutally beaten.

Their fault--they were carrying cows along with them. Bhoop Singh and Jabar Singh were intercepted by self-styled 'Gau Rakshaks'--a term that means protectors of cows.

"We kept telling them that we are Hindus, farmers but they kept accusing us of being cow smugglers and started thrashing us", said the victims, who later lodged an FIR.

"They abused us verbally and kicked us on the stomach and even the face. We collapsed on the ground but they continued beating us". While this was happening, no one intervened. [TOI report]

Hindu Sena leader crushes Muslim youth to death in Bhopal

In yet another incident of extremist groups' violence, Hindu Sena district chief killed a Muslim youth, Salman, by crushing him to death under a SUV. This incident occurred in MP Nagar in Bhopal.

Salman was beaten brutally and later his head was struck against a tanker. The Hindu Sena leader Shivaji Patil later crushed Salman to death on the spot, with his car, and escaped. He was later arrested.