CJP flags 8 incidents of hate crime including lynchings to National Commission for Minorities

In the month of June alone this year at least 6 episodes of mob lynching’s were reported in the country as per Maktoob Media. The trend of hate crimes against minorities and weaker sections of the society has continued unabated in the present socio-political climate of fear, ethno-religious divide, and communal hatred. While constant communal activities and hate speeches delivered across the country vitiate the overall climate towards religious polarisation, their effect is most apparent when extreme cases of hate crimes like mob lynching or physical ransacking of shops and properties is displayed on our screens. Most often, such hate crimes are disproportionately committed against members of minority groups, who are the most vulnerable and easy targets of communal violence. As a vigilant human rights organisation, CJP closely monitor issues affecting the rights of the citizens, especially minorities, and constantly endeavours to protect fundamental rights of all citizens.

In our complaint dated July 10 to the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), a statutory body mandated with the duty to protect the rights of the minorities, we flagged 8 episodes of hate crimes committed against weaker sections of the society across the states of Orrisa, Jharkhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Uttar Pradesh in the months of June-July this year. The hate crime incidents listed in our complaint includes cases of mob lynching, ransacking of the shop, physical assault, and house trespassing on the occasion of Eid al-Adha to prevent consumption of meat. We addressed our complaint to Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the NCM, Iqbal Singh Lalpura and Kersi Kaikhushroo Deboo, respectively, under Section 9(d) of the NMC Act, which mandates that the minority body to “look into specific complaints regarding deprivation of rights and safeguards of the minorities and take up such matters with the appropriate authorities”.

For each listed incident, we have provided a detailed account of the facts, including date, location, particulars of the incident, and actors involved therein (wherever identifiable). In addition, CJP has specified the applicable criminal laws under both Indian Penal Code and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita to the incidents in question. To further strengthen the complaint legally, we have also cited binding court judgements on the subject matter, international conventions, and the relevant executive or police orders (wherever applicable). Importantly, while addressing the issue of hate crime, CJP has also urged the NMC to look into societal and long-term effects of hate crimes on the overall wellbeing and safety not only of the minorities but all sections of the society, accentuating the debilitating effects of hate crime on individuals, groups, and the country as a whole.

Finally, we pressed the National Commission of Minorities to take several concrete measures on the complained cases, including directing police/investigative agencies to identity and track down the culprits, ensuring registration of FIRs, and further encouraged the Commission to closely monitor the probe in the listed incidents.

Details of the incidents

1. Date: July 1

Location: Koderma, Jharkhand

Details: As per journalist Meer Faisal, an Imam named Maulana Sahabuddin from Basramo Turkabad in the Barkatha area was lynched by a mob in Koderma district on July 1st. A resident of Raghuniyadih, Sahabuddin was returning home on his bike when a mob surrounded him and accused him of hitting a woman on the road. After this accusation, they brutally beat him to death, hitting his viciously.

2. Date: June 30

Location: Sadulpur, Churu, Rajasthan (close to Lasedi village on NH52)

Details: A group of around 20 cow vigilantes brutally assaulted a driver and his companion in Sadulpur, late on Sunday night (June 30). The victims, identified as Sonu Bishnoi (29) and Sundar Bishnoi (35), were transporting lemons from Jaipur to Punjab when they were intercepted by vigilantes on suspicion of cattle smuggling. A video of the incident shows the mob armed with sticks thrashing the victims even as they lay on the ground, hitting them in the face with shoes and kicking their heads. Vigilantes even took away their mobile phones, rendering them helpless. The victims were initially taken to a local hospital in Churu and later referred to a private hospital in Haryana for better treatment. Sonu Banshiram sustained multiple fractures in both legs, while Sundar Singh suffered injuries to his arms and head. Reportedly, the victims heard the names Sonu, Sonia, Varun, and Dinesh during the attack.

Rajasthan: Cow vigilantes brutally thrashed Sonu Bishnoi and Sundar Bishnoi from Haryana over false allegations of transporting cattle, while in reality, the pickup truck was loaded with lemons. pic.twitter.com/5MdDyy7ujJ

— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) July 2, 2024

3. Date: June 19 

Location: Chhota Chowk, Nahan, Himachal Pradesh 

Details: On June 19, a mob of 400-500 people looted the textile shop of the Muslim man in Chhota Chowk, Nahan, Himachal Pradesh, over false allegations of cow slaughter. The shop was vandalised after the shopkeeper had shared a picture of an animal sacrifice on his WhatsApp status. Article 14 reported that even though there is a video of the men inciting the mob before the attack on Muslim shops, the police have not arrested them till date. After the attack, some of the Muslim shopkeepers fled from the area and have since lost their livelihood and erstwhile home. A video of the incident shows the mob destroying and throwing out the contents of the shop as crowd cheers under police presence. After this, the crowd marched to the district collector’s office, chanting slogans such as “Goli maaro saalon ko” and “Jai Shri Ram.” The threats of violence were further repeated at a gathering of people on 26 June.

A Hindutva mob in Nahan, Himachal Pradesh, looted and vandalized a Muslim man’s shop in front of the police after he posted a picture of an animal sacrifice on his WhatsApp status. pic.twitter.com/KQndpp0fZU

— The Observer Post (@TheObserverPost) June 19, 2024

4. Date: June 18

Location: Mamu Bhanja, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh

Details: A 35-year-old Muslim man, named Mohammed Farid alias Aurangzeb, was lynched by a mob on the night of June 18. As per the police, he was beaten to death over suspicion of a theft attempt. However, Mohammed Zaki, the victim’s brother, has stated that Farid was just coming back home from work when he was attacked by a mob in the locality. The incident reportedly took place around 10:15 PM on June 18. As per Hindustan Times, the complaint alleges that the accused ‘gathered together’ with the intention to kill Farid as he was a Muslim, “They (accused) gathered with the intention of killing brother Aurangzeb. They had lathi, stick, hockey (stick) and iron rod in hand and attacked my brother after identifying him as a Muslim, they killed him,” the complainant has alleged in the FIR.” The family of the victim has demanded compensation and strict punishment for the accused.

 5. Date: June 16 

Location: Khordha, Orrisa 

Details: A mob arrived and forced their way into a house and seized meat from a fridge in the home on June 16. This incident had taken place only shortly after Eid al-Adha and a viral video has surfaced showing a group of cow vigilantes forcefully entering a Muslim household. The mob, chanting slogans of “Jai Shri Ram,” as they entered and raided the family’s refrigerator, seizing all the meat and the refrigerator itself on mere suspicion that it contained beef.

6. Date: June 12 

Location: Jagdalpur, Chattisgarh 

Details: As per Maktoob Media, on June 12, Christian families in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, were reportedly attacked by a Hindutva mob. They were also given an ultimatum to denounce their religion within 10 days. The violent incident took place in Bade Paroda village, under Badanji Police Station. Three victims were hospitalised after the incident. As per Maktoob Media, the lawyer of the injured has stated that all the attacks happening in the area since 2023 were aided by local police, and has also been forcing the families to flee their village. One of the injured suffered a broken leg, according to the lawyer. Since 2023, Bade Paroda has been reportedly a tense area for violence against Christians, with Christian minorities often targeted by violence and intimidation.

 7. Date: June 10 

Location: Kaithal, Haryana 

Details: In Haryana’s Kaithal, a Sikh man was beaten by unknown people who also called him a Khalistani, as per Times of India. The Haryana Police have so far arrested two people in connection with the assault. Following the incident on June 10, the Kaithal police created a five-member Special Investigation Team to investigate. The arrested men have been identified as Ishu who is a resident of Singwal village in Jind, and Sunil who is from Shergarh village, according to Superintendent of Police Upasana.

8. Date: June 7 

Location: Raipur, Chhattisgarh 

Details: In Raipur, Chhattisgarh, two Muslim men, Chand Miya and Guddu Khan, were beaten to death by cow vigilantes on June 7 while transporting buffaloes in a truck. Their bodies were found in the Mahanadi River. A third man, Saddam Khan was also critically injured and receiving treatment in a hospital, only to succumb to his injuries a short while later. The incident took place when a group of youths began following it, eventually surrounding it on the Mahanadi bridge. Reports indicate that the attackers laid spikes on the road to stop the truck, then forcefully pulled out the occupants and assaulted them. In a desperate attempt to escape, one of the victims jumped into the river.

Copy of our complaint to the National Commission for Minorities can be found here:

Related:

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Jharkhand: Another case of mob lynching of Muslim man 

June 2024: 10 violent attacks against cattle transporters and 14 cases of communal violence in various states across India 

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