“The police will not be able to walk back on their feet,” is a threat being issued to Rajasthan Police doing their job of nabbing culprits in the double murder of Muslim men whose charred bodies were found in a burnt vehicle in Haryana. A Hindu mahapanchayat was held in Baba Bhishma Temple, Manesar, Haryana, by Gau Rakshak Dal on Tuesday. The person addressing the meeting said, “we respect the police but if in this false case the Rajasthan police, they harass our people then Rajasthan police will not walk back on their own feet.”

This threat was issued openly to a big crowd and was even streamed live on social media. The panchayat was held in support of Monu Manesar, the Bajrang Dal leader who is known to have been a perpetrator in many cow vigilantism cases.

“If Rajasthan Police harasses our comrades & their families, then listen clearly, #RajasthanPolice will come on its feet but will not be able to go back on its feet,” says #Neelam, a member of #GauRakshaDal from #Pataudi, #Haryana.#Hindutva #HateSpeech pic.twitter.com/BK5dV8KIEU

— Hate Detector ? (@HateDetectors) February 21, 2023

Meanwhile, VHP and Bajrang Dal have also rallied in Monu’s support. When they came to know that Rajasthan Police was going to raid his residence, both groups blocked the NH48 highway.

A video surfaced on Monday of the SHO of Gopalgarh police station in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur where he can be seen detailing the incident of the killing of Junaid and Nasir. He has said that the two were beaten mercilessly by cow vigilantes and took them to Haryana Police who refused to take them in custody looking at their condition. He said that one of them had already died due to the assault and the accused then took both of them and put them in the car and set it on fire in the forest on Bhiwani. Monu Rana has been mentioned as one of the accused. The video appears to have been taken stealthily without the knowledge of the SHO.

A video of #RamNaresh, SHO of #Gopalgarh PS where a FIR was filed in connection with the killing of #Junaid & #Nasir, has surfaced.

In the video, he revealed that two #Muslim men were burnt to destroy the evidence. He also talks about the role of #BajrangDal leader #MonuManesar. pic.twitter.com/ZUYV4OLB4F

— Hate Detector ? (@HateDetectors) February 20, 2023

The developments in the case

Only one FIR has been registered in the case which is in Rajasthan, under sections 143 (unlawful assembly) as well as sections pertaining to kidnapping 365, 367 and 368 as also 302 (murder).

The accused in police custody, Riknu Saini has alleged that they had taken Junaid and Nasir to Ferozepur Jhirka police station, Haryana where the police refused to take them in custody on charges of cow smuggling and sent them away as they feared that the duo would die in custody.

Nuh SP Varun Singla has formed a team to probe the allegations on Haryana police. “To probe the allegations against CIA, Ferozepur Jhirka, a special team has been formed led by ASP Usha Kundu,” he said. “If our men are found involved, action will be taken,” the SP said, reported Quint.

At least three accused, namely Rinku, Lokesh and Shrikant have been working as Haryana police’s informers, The Indian Express reported. 

Junaid and Nasir were tortured for several hours to extract information on the sources of cattle and their trafficking operations, Rajasthan Police sources familiar with the ongoing investigation have told The Print. Bharatpur Inspector General of Police (IGP) Gaurav Srivastava told the news portal that 8 accused have been identified as being present at the crime scene, and in total 12 people are involved in the crime.

Related:

Modus Operandi behind Muslim men’s murderous killings in Haryana, shocking claims by accused

Rajasthan: 2 Muslim men allegedly kidnapped and burnt to death; FIR against Bajrang Dal members

The post Gau Rakshak Dal issues open threats to Rajasthan Police for investigating Junaid-Nasir murder appeared first on SabrangIndia.

All of the 11 accused – including a local BJP leader – were convicted under IPC Section 302 (murder). In addition, three of them were convicted under Section 120B (conspiracy) – indicating that the court was convinced that the attack was pre-meditated. This is the first time, ‘gau rakshaks’ or self proclaimed cow protectors have been convicted in a case relating to ‘Gautankwad’ or violence in the name of cow protection, anywhere in India. The sentencing will take place on March 20.

Alimuddin Ansari aka Asgar Ali of Mouna village was allegedly carrying 200 kgs of meat in his van when he was intercepted by the mob at Bazartand in Ramgarh district. They dragged him outside his vehicle and beat him with sticks and pieces of meat. The mob also set his car on fire. His assailants had been keeping tabs on him ever since he purchased the meat at 7:30 in the morning and tracked and followed him for 15 kilometers before attacking him. His car was also set on fire. The police had intervened and rescued him within 30 minutes. He was first taken to Sardar Hospital in Ramgarh, but transferred to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi because of the severity of his injuries. It was at the second hospital that Ansari breathed his last. Interestingly, the attack on Ansari took place on the same day Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to finally break his silence around the issue of cow vigilantism.

Two people were arrested in the case, including local BJP leader Nityanand Mahato. Another prime accused Chhotu Rana then surrendered before the Ramgarh court. Five more persons had then been arrested in connection with the incident. According to the Ramgarh police, arrests were made based on videos and photos. A special team had also been constituted to review the videos and photos which were circulated in the social media. In videos of the assault that did the rounds on social media, the assailants were seen beating Ansari with pieces of meat while his car was on fire in the background.

Ansari’s wife, Mariam Khatoon, had told the media then that she was certain that members of the Bajrang Dal were responsible for her husband’s death. “They were rogues owing allegiance to Bajrang Dal,” she had alleged.

The case also made headlines when in October 2017, a witness was unable to testify because his wife was killed in an accident outside the courtroom. “Alimuddin’s brother Jalil Ansari, a witness in the murder case, had come to depose before the court on Thursday. He had forgotten his identity proof, so he asked his wife Julekha, aged around 50, and Alimuddin’s son Shahzad Ansari (22) to go home and get it. The accident occurred while they were on their way. The police said that an unidentified bike hit the victim’s bike,” the Indian Express had reported then. Khatoon had alleged then that the accident could have been a ploy from the other side.

Defence lawyers told the local media that they will be appealing the conviction.

Related Article:

Victims of Gautankwad: Alimuddin Ansari
 

The post Local BJP leader among 11 convicted in Alimuddin Ansari lynching case: Jharkand appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Justice Rathor’s observation may have been a revelation for some, but it points to a much bigger issue: time and again, the way the state and central government have acted in cases related to mob lynching of Muslims, it is clear that justice for Muslims in these cases will be tough and probably elusive. This becomes even more visible in cases where the state government is also under the BJP, as is the case in Haryana where Junaid was murdered.

Take the case of Pahlu Khan, where an independent investigation has conclusively proved how the government is hell-bent on providing all possible support to the accused. The police have been in an overdrive mode trying to prove that the men named by Khan in his dying declaration were never present on the site (despite video evidence) while the hospital where Khan was brought says he died of a heart attack. The report also details exactly how the police have time and again, shown a lackadaisical attitude towards the case. In September, the police announced that an investigation by their Crime Investigation Department— Crime Branch (CID-CB) had obtained evidence and statements from witnesses that proved that these six men named by Khan in his statement were not present on the scene of the crime during the attack and, therefore, could not have murdered Khan.

The situation is no different in Jharkhand, which is also ruled by the BJP. When a Muslim trader Alimuddin Ansari was lynched in Ramgarh, the government showed little or no interest in treating it as a matter of hate crime but instead focussed on trying to prove that Ansari was illegally trading in cow meat. The wife of the Jalil Ansari, the only eyewitness to the incident who decided to stand up was ‘killed’ in an accident moments before the court proceedings were about to begin relating to the case. It is no coincidence that prior to this, the family of Jalil Ansari had been receiving multiple threats from members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the BJP. Two local BJP leaders: Nityanand Mahato and Santosh, along with three others had been arrested. Two more Bajrang Dal members surrendered a few days later.

Apart from these cases, the BJP has actively encouraged and extended support to Gaurakshaks across the country, with cabinet ministers often applauding their work that has led to the death of over 30 people in the past three years. The BJP and its extended Sangh Parivar have extensively used state machinery to ensure maximum protection for people arrested for such heinous crimes and it is unlikely that this will change anytime soon.

Courtesy: Two Circles
 

The post When Muslims are killed in hate crimes, BJP governments always side with the accused appeared first on SabrangIndia.

BJP under Modi government had pushed its core Hindutva agenda to the limits,  veteran LK Advani’s main agenda of Ram Mandir was not enough for NDA II, Cow politics was raised vehemently and cow vigilantes groups were backed by BJP and grew since as early as 2009.

The then Gujarat Chief minister Narendra Modi not only talked about cow protection but he went further ahead and started campaign against Buffalo Meat (Pink Revolution). The campaign against Pink Revolution had drastic affect in Uttar Pradesh after BJP came in power and the present UP CM Yogi Adityanath began crackdown on so-called illegal slaughterhouses. Thousands of people have got unemployed, businesses related to buffalo meat and leather has been down to almost zero.MS Golwalkar, the RSS chief between 1940 and 1973, was the brain behind the cow protection movement in the 1960s. The government set up a committee to consider the demand of a nationwide ban on cow slaughter. The committee lasted twelve years. In that period, Golwalkar became friends with one of the committee members, Verghese Kurien, known as the ‘Milkman of India’.

Union culture minister Mahesh Sharma visited Bisada village in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh to pay his respects to Mohammed Akhlaq’s murder accused Ravin Sisodia’s body and family. Sharma, who is Lok Sabha MP for the local constituency, tweeted images of himself at the gathering om 7th Oct 2016.

Kurien opposed the ban on cow slaughter for economic reasons — the dairy business needs to get rid of old and unhealthy cows. In his autobiography, Kurien revealed Golwalkar’s real reason for the cow protection movement.

Kurien quoted Golwakar as saying he started the cow protection movement only to embarrass the government. He went around India collecting a million signatures for his petition, and saw in a village in UP a woman who went from house to house in the scorching heat to get more signatures.

Kurien quotes Golwalkar, “This is when I realized that the woman was actually doing it for her cow, which was her bread and butter, and I realized how much potential the cow has… I saw that the cow has potential to unify the country — she symbolizes the culture of Bharat… you agree with me to ban cow slaughter on this committee and I promise you, five years from that date, I will have united the country. What I’m trying to tell you is that I’m not a fool, I’m not a fanatic. I’m just cold-blooded about this. I want to use the cow to bring out our Indianness, So please cooperate with me on this.”

But the stringent and hardcore cow protection campaign of Sangh Parivar led by BJP under Narendra Modi leadership has turned into nightmare for Indians, especially for Minorities who are being lynched in public without any one coming forward to protect them.

Below is the timeline of incidents related to Gau Rakshaks since Narendra Modi became Prime Minister and BJP’s drive for hardcore cow protection

March 4 2015: Maharashtra banned beef; anyone found in possession or sale would face five years of jail and a ₹10,000 fine. While a 1976 law prevented the slaughter of cows in Maharashtra, the new Act banned the slaughter of bulls as well as bullocks.

March 16 2015: Haryana passed a stringent bill banning the sale of beef. The law mandated five years of rigorous imprisonment for selling beef — same as that in Maharashtra — and a fine of up to ₹50,000.

May 30 2015 : Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi, 60, was killed in Birloka , in Khimsar tehsil of Nagaur district, Rajasthan after rumours spread that he had killed 200 cows for a feast. Pictures of carcasses were spread on social media. Young men gathered in the thousands in the fields of Kumhari village and brutally murdered him.

August 29 2015: Residents of Chilla village, near east Delhi’s Mayur Vihar, clashed with four truck drivers night who were reportedly transferring buffaloes to a slaughter house in Gazipur.

September 28 2015: A mob lynched Mohammed Akhlaque in Bisada village, Dadri, on allegations of killing a cow and consuming its meat on Eid.

October 1 2015: Six students of Sree Kerala Varma College in Thrissur, Kerala, were suspended for organising a beef fest on campus to protest against the Dadri lynching.

October 6 2015: A cattle trader in Karnataka had a narrow escape after Bajrang Dal activists attacked him with metal rods on a rumour about a stolen cow.

October 9 2015: A mob went on a rampage following rumours that a cow had been slaughtered in Mainpuri district in UP.

October 9 2015: A petrol bomb attack on a Srinagar-bound truck left three men — two Kashmiris and a policeman — battling burn injuries (one of them died later). The truck was set on fire allegedly by rightwing activists in Jammu’s Udhampur district.

October 16 2015: A village mob lynched a man in Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh for alleged cattle smuggling.

October 19 2015: Hindu hardliners threw black ink at J&K MLA Engineer Rashid in Delhi. He was thrashed earlier for holding a beef party in Srinagar.

December 3 2015: Violent clashes broke out in Haryana’s Palwal district when villagers stopped a truck allegedly carrying cow meat.

January 13 2016: Cow protection group attacked a couple at Khirkiya railway station in Madhya Pradesh over allegations that they were carrying beef.

March 18 2016: Two Muslim cattle-traders, including a 15-year-old, were beaten and hanged from a tree in Jharkhand’s Latehar district. Five suspects, including a member of a local gau raksha vigilante group, were later arrested.

April 2 2016: Mustain Abbas was killed, allegedly by Gau Raksha Dal members in Kurukshetra, Haryana while he was transporting a buffalo. The High Court of Punjab and Haryana ordered CBI to probe the murder on May 9.

May 6 2016: The Bombay High Court ruled that it will no longer be illegal to consume or keep imported beef but upheld the Maharashtra government’s ban on slaughter of cows and bullocks.

June 2 2016 : A mob of cow protection activists brutally assaulted alledged cattle smugglers in Rajasthan’s Pratapgarh, they took pictures of his naked body after he fell unconscious from brutality.

June 10 2016: Two ‘beef transporters’ were beaten up and force-fed cow dung allegedly by the Gurgaon Gau Raksha Dal in Haryana.

July 10 2016: Bajrang Dal members brutally attacked a Dalit family in Koppa in Karnataka, claiming there was beef inside their house.

July 11 2016: Seven members of a Dalit family were beaten up by about 35 gau rakshaks for skinning a dead cow in Una, in Gujarat’s Gir Somnath district.

July 26 2016: Two Muslim women were beaten up at Mandsaur railway station in Madhya Pradesh on suspicion of carrying beef.

July 30 2016: A mob attacked the house of a Muslim family on suspicion of cow slaughter in UP’s Muzaffarnagar district.

August 5 2016: Two Dalits thrashed for refusing to remove dead bodies of cows in Lucknow. The Dalit workers were on protest against the growing attacks on community since Una, Gujarat attack.

August 18 2016 : BJP worker Praveen Poojary Killed by Hindu right-wing organisation over cow smuggling suspicion in Udupi, Karnataka.

August 24 2016 : In Mewat, Haryana 10 members of Gau Raksha killed a Muslim couple in their 30s, Rasheedan and Ibrahim, Two other members of their family, Ayesha and Jafruddin, were seriously injured.

September 18 2016 : Mohammad Ayub Mev 25-year-old was thrashed brutally by cow vigilantes after his pick up truck carrying bullock and calf met with an accident in which the calf died. He later died in hospital due to critical injuries.

March 18 2017 : Hotel Hayat Rabbani in Jaipur sealed by Nagar Nigam after one Kamala Didi of Gau Raksha Dal accused they were feeding beef to cows and organizing beef party in Hotel , they thrashed Qasim ,19 year old helper who was later arrested by Police.

March 22 2017 : Several Meat shops torched and vandalised by cow vigilantes group in Hathras District of U.P. right after BJP coming into power .

March 24 2017 : 12 Slaughterhouses sealed alleging to be without permit across Uttar Pradesh after Yogi Adityanath took the charge as Chief Minister of UP.

March 27 2017 :  Seven people, allegedly from a vigilante group, have been arrested for attacking and trying to sexually harass women at a house in Tellar village of Karkala, Udupi, Karnataka. The vigilante group members had entered the victim’s house as they suspected that cattle was being slaughtered illegally.

April 1 2017 :  Chhattisgarh’s Chief Minister Raman Singh claimed will hang those who kill cows in his state.

April 4 2017 : 55 years old Dairy Farmer Pehlu Khan died in Alwar, Rajasthan after brutally beaten by cow vigilantes belonging to Hindu Right Wing organisations along with 5 other companions. He was transporting milch cows bought from Jaipur Animal fair to his home town Mewat District in Haryana.

April 12, 2017: 60 years old man was tied to tree and brutally beaten over alleged cow smuggling in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.

April 21, 2017: A nine-year-old girl along with four of her family members were attacked by self-proclaimed ‘gau rakshaks’ (cow vigilante) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district, four accused arrested.

April 23, 2017: The Delhi Police Monday arrested PFA office-bearer named Gaurav Guptathe case related to the assault of three youths by some people allegedly belonging to animal welfare group People For Animals (PFA).

May 4, 2017: Gau rakshaks attack two Hindu men on suspicion of being Muslim cow smugglers in Greater Noida.

12 May, 2017:  Gau rakshaks thrashed five people who were allegedly caught slaughtering a buffalo illegally inside the premises of a private dairy in the Gandhi Park area of the city in Delhi.

13 May, 2017:  Gau-Rakshaks cornered a man and started thrashing him ruthlessly, accusing him of beating a cow in Bhopal. The victim is said to have sustained severe injuries after the incident and was rushed to a nearby hospital.

25 May, 2017: A group of self-proclaimed ‘gau rakshaks’ created mayhem at the Bhubaneswar railway station on Wednesday, attacking two persons who were legally transporting 20 milch cows. No arrests have been made so far.

26 May, 2017: Gau Rakshaks’ In Malegaon Beat Up Two Meat Traders, Force Them To Chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’

2 June, 2017: Haryana: Gau rakshaks attacked youth with knife infront of police in Gohana.

12 June, 2017: Mob of at least 50 people intercepted five trucks near Rajasthan’s Barmer attacking drivers and attempting to set fire to the vehicles carrying cows purchased by Tamil Nadu government under a project to protect cows.

22 June, 2017: 15 years old Muslim teenager Junaid was stabbed to death while 3 of his brothers injured on a local train in Haryana after a mob accused them as beef eaters.

Courtesy: Indian Cultural Forum

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Deaths and attacks in the name of cows, self-proclaimed love jihad, anti-Romeo squad, and Ram temple have become common, but our Prime Minister has no time for uttering a word about/against these. Of course, who knows a better use of these divisive and fringe politics than Modi. And BJP isn’t unfamiliar with this kind of fringe-becoming- core style of functioning. Earlier, Atal Behari Vajpayee was the core and now defunct Advani, the fringe. Modi had long been, in the past, commandeering as fringe and perfecting the art of his brand of Hindutva politics in Gujarat with Advani at the core pushing Vajpayee in the oblivion. What a cruel joke of time would be when Yogi Adityanath, who is meant to denounce worldly affair will gravitate to the core, using the same formula of Modi, and shoving Modi into oblivion. Only time will tell if this BJP leader cycle will prove to be true.

There have been more than 10 deaths since the current government came to power at the Centre, at the hands of so-called Gaurakshaks. Neither Prime Minister, except once that too when some Dalit youths were assaulted in Gujarat, nor anyone from his government done anything to stop this madness. It seems the loss of Muslim life at the hands of cow vigilante is business as usual. Rather on many occasions, they seemed to have justified these killings on one or the other pretext. One of the cabinet ministers, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi even denied that Pehlu Khan was lynched despite video of the very incident being played on all major news channels in India.

Our police forces across India, wherever these happened, were more than a willing partner of thugs who operates as Gaurakshaks. Their inaction at times, inimical treatment of victims and act of collusion has been too obvious at times.

The ill-thought ban on all kinds of beef trade has severely impacted the source of livelihood,  especially of Muslims. And the consequent spike in Hate Crimes and harassments aimed at minority community are going unabated. Our Prime Minister has time to pay tribute to victims of terror activities in far-off lands but does not have time and space to express similar feelings for the victims of Gaurakshaks in his own country. He is under oath to protect each and every citizen of India and uphold constitution under all circumstances. Similar is the action of the Chief Minister of Rajasthan under whose watch one unarmed man was lynched to death only because he was carrying cows for his dairy farm legally. She too felt the pain of victim’s family in Belgium but not for Pehlu Khan of her own state.  At times, silence is deemed permission and collusion. And history will not be kind to those who are not speaking against the racial killing of Muslims in the name of the cow.

Around one hundred people died including 12 bank officials due to Demonetization brought by this government. Besides, it caused severe damage to our economy without any visible and verified gain of the proclaimed goals: removing black money and illicit wealth and terror funding. Hundreds of families lost their lifelong saving, undergone tremendous hardships for many months, people lost lives and livelihood to this Tughlaq-like Farman.  Yet the government at the centre remained insensitive and indifferent to problems faced by people. Interestingly, a majority of India also remain silent and keeping their miseries to themselves.

India is mainly an agrarian economy employing the largest number of people directly and indirectly. And it contributes to around 16% to India’s total GDP. There have been constant issues of farmers committing suicides mainly due to indebtedness and crops failure. According to one report, in total 300,000 farmers have committed suicides from 1995. And major cases are reported from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab. In 2015 as per NCRB record,  8,007 farmers committed suicide: a 42% jump from 2014 which had recorded 5,650 deaths. Lately, there has been demonstration and dharna by farmers of Tamil Nadu in Delhi to draw the Central government’s attention to their problems. They even walked naked towards Prime Minister’s official residence and drank urine to demonstrate their plight. But no one seems to pay attention to their problem.

As per The Economics Times’ report dated 18 November 2016 there is a total of Rs 12.60 lakh crore farmers’ debt in India. And one shouldn’t be surprised to know that only five corporate houses owe 5.73 lakh crores to banks as per The Times of India dated August 2, 2016. Although the Chief Minister of UP has waived farmers’ loan which is a welcome distraction from the daily rhetoric of Gauraksha, Anti-Romeo squad and religion conversion/ ghar wapsi. However, all leaders big and small have plenty of time to play cow politics and let Muslim killed by thugs roaming on street disguised as Gaurakhshak.

Going by the trend of rakshaks’ mushroom growth soon we will have innumerable varieties of rakshaks proclaiming to hold their interest and beliefs like Mohalla rakshak, Muslim rakshaks, Christian rakshak, Dalit rakshaks etc. Ours will be a society of various rakshaks bereft of any government writ. Gradually these rakshaks will metamorphose into a violent political entity or graduate to be warlords. Let’s not fool ourselves, these rakshaks will consume those who have helped in its making or did not resist its rise. Recent attacks on the police force and gherao of a senior police officer’s residence UP are the writing on the wall.  We, the people of India, will still remain silent and surrender our civil rights to merchants of a lawless society.

Recent rhetoric, theatrics and antics of present ruling party’s at the Centre and of its direct and indirect affiliates’ language have been caustic, coarse, abusive and divisive. And often their means violent and mafia-like. There is a certain tendency in their language and actions which reek of violence, trample individual rights and privacy and seems more than eager to take law and system in their hands. They are quite unmindful of others, scorn system and process, circumvent due diligence and always talk in terms of” holier than thou”. There is one politician of BJP Tarun Vijay who defended India is not racist saying we too have black people from  Karnataka, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh.  There is another leader who is baying for the blood of anyone who opposes construction of Ram temple at the disputed site. Another Chief Minister says he will hang anyone who is guilty of killing a cow.

Akhlaq’s murdered had triggered some reaction from mainstream political parties. But lately, there has almost complete silence on part of all political parties especially so-called secular parties who were, just a few months ago, courting Muslim as their messiah and flag bearer of secularism. It appears now those were just an election ploy, a gimmick for Muslims’ and minorities’ vote. All political parties have, probably, surrendered themselves to majoritarian agenda or do not have an alternative political discourse to offer. There is no protest, no dharna not even a proper debate in the parliament.  Silences of civil society, general mass, and of intellectuals are deafening.

Bol, ke lab azaad hai tere!

Courtesy: Two Circles
 

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The intolerance is not just restricted to remote rural villages in the hinterland. The venom has crept right into my and your cozy urban bubbles, where we like to insulate ourselves. I am not even talking about the shameful attacks that took place in South Delhi, where three men were assaulted by the “so-called Gau-Rakshaks”.

I am talking about well educated, influential people providing rationalisation to vigilante attacks, which in any other civilised country would have been thoroughly condemned across all political spectrum.

Take for instance, Harbir Singh. A first look at his Facebook profile, and you would see someone, who has had the best of upbringing, the best of education, a promising career. He happens to be a social media influencer, writes occasional columns for Times of India and his spouse is a Senior Assistant Editor with the same newspaper.

But Dwell deeper into his thinking, and you would come to terms with a very different uncomfortable reality of his thoughts. Here is a Facebook post (which has now been deleted), that he made in the light of the recent increased cow-vigilantism. This post had close to 200 likes and was shared by around 50 people, including the well known public figure Tarek Fateh.
 

Let us take a short walk through Harbir’s mind. He ends his first paragraph with a rationalisation of the increasing violence in the name of cows, and calls it inevitable, which he also claims has ‘broad public approval’.

The next paragraph is filled with arguments which are simply not grounded in reality. A simple look at the judicial exonerations of people like Swami Aseemanand, judicial proceedings of convicted mass murderers like Maya Kodnani (who has been out on bail since 2014) and what increasingly looks like from the way the judiciary has taken this case, she is going to have her convictions overturned.

There are numerous such cases, where terrorists are being protected by the state, due to their affiliations with organisations perceived close to the government in power. When was the last time you heard Islamists being treated with such kid gloves ? The state comes down heavily on Islamist terrorists, and very rightly so.

But anyway, let us move on to his third and fourth paragraphs. This is where the problem is, which so many of us have taken deep objection to. He begins with another assumption that our state is weak, and is unable to provide justice to victims.

What he ends with, is an all out call for mob violence against the “flock of Islamist Maulanas”. In his world, the syncretic India that provides space to different religious and political philosophies, simply does not exist.

So, if there are people in our society (whom he perceives as Islamists), he thinks the natural consequence should be an all out mob violence against every single Muslim living in India. He calls it an inevitable outcome, and asks us to conform to his wisdom, but we will not ! We will challenge it, at each and every step !

I started a campaign trying to take down his hateful message ! A Muslim friend of mine did the same as well. The next thing we know, Harbir Singh got outright abusive with my friend. He posted the following on his Facebook page. These posts have also been taken down (presumably by him)

What worries me, is not just the actions of a sole individual but the increasing tendency to provide intellectual justifications for crimes which should be condemned outright. Period ! If we don’t all get together to spread the message of love and unity, then we won’t be able to fight the fascism that has crept slowly into our society. Remember, fascism, when it arrives at our doorsteps, won’t come dressed in a Hitler’s SS brown shirt, but rather dressed in smart ties and suits of well educated English speaking men ! Hence – Organise, Agitate, Resist!

This article was first published on Janta Ka Reporter
 

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Sulkhan Singh, today took charge as the new Director General of Police in Uttar Pradesh.

Addressing the media after taking over from Javeed Ahmad, Singh vowed to crack down on "gundagardi" and said that his force will work with total impartiality.

"Anybody indulging in criminal activities will not be spared, whether from ruling party or not, we have strict orders from UP CM (Yogi Adityanath)", the new Uttar Pradesh DGP. Singh, who previously was the DG (Training), also promised a corruption-free police force and addresses the hot-button topics of vigilantism in the name of cow protection and Uttar Pradesh's recently instituted anti-Romeo squads.

Since the Modi regime took charge at the Centre (May 2014) and over the past weeks and months, especially since the Yogi dispensation in Uttar Pradesh (March 2017), there have been several incidents of alleged cow smugglers being assaulted in the country. Recently, a dairy farm owner was killed by self-proclaimed gau rakshaks in Rajasthan. Sulkan Singh today said that action will be taken against such vigilantes in Uttar Pradesh.

On anti-Romeo squads, which have come under criticism for harassing couples and for alleged moral policing, Singh said that the personnel on the squads will only act against people indulging in "objectionable behaviour."
What the DGP Said Today

1. Any person indulging in criminal activities will not be spared, whether from ruling party or not; these are the strict orders coming from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
2. No 'gundagardi' will be tolerated; it will be acted upon, Uttar Pradesh police will work with total impartiality. Uttar Pradesh police has zero tolerance towards corruption.
3. Police personnel on duty for anti-Romeo squads will act and take action only on people with objectionable behaviour.
4. Personnel in Plain clothes, but this does not mean that they will start needlessly questioning people. This will be reiterated in standing orders issued to the personnel.
5. Vigilantism will  Not be Tolerated: Action will be taken on anyone indulging in vigilantism in the name of Gau Raksha or anything else, no one has the right to intervene. Will not disclose complainant's name in such a case (of alleged vigilantism), but won't allow anyone to indulge in forceful behaviour.

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याचिकाकर्ता तहसीन पूनावाला ने गौरक्षा के नाम पर दलितों और मुसलमानों के खिलाफ हो रही हिंसा रोकने की माँग की है और कहा है कि ऐसी हिंसा करने वाले संगठनों पर उसी तरह से पाबंदी लगाई जाए जिस तरह की पाबंदी सिमी जैसे संगठन पर लगी है।

याचिका में कहा गया है कि देश में कुछ राज्यों में गौरक्षा दलों को सरकारी मान्यता मिली हुई है जिससे इनके हौंसले बढ़े हुए हैं। माँग की गई है कि गौरक्षक दलों की सरकारी मान्यता समाप्त की जाए।

गौरक्षक दलों पर प्रतिबंध लगाने की मांग को लेकर दायर इस याचिका पर सुप्रीम कोर्ट में शनिवार को सुनवाई हुई, जिसके बाद न्यायमूर्ति दीपक मिश्रा और न्यायमूर्ति अमिताभ राय की पीठ ने केंद्र और छह राज्य सरकारों से 7 नवंबर तक अपने जवाब देने को कहा।
 
याचिका के साथ में गौरक्षक दलों की हिंसा के वीडियो और अखबार की कटिंग लगाई गई हैं और अदालत से इनका संज्ञान लेने को कहा गया है। केंद्र के अलावा, गुजरात, राजस्थान, झारखंड, महाराष्ट्र, उत्तर प्रदेश और कर्नाटक से सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने जवाब माँगा है। अगली सुनवाई 7 नवंबर को ही होगी। 

ध्यान रहे कि प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी भी कह चुके हैं कि अधिकतर गौरक्षक अपराधी होते हैं, और दिन में गौरक्षक बन जाते हैं तथा रात में अपराध करते हैं। हालाँकि आरएसएस प्रमुख मोहन भागवत ने गौरक्षकों को देशसेवक मानते हैं।

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मेवात गैंगरेप की पीड़िता बहनें    Image: Amar Ujala

24 अगस्त को मेवात के डिंगरहेड़ी गाँव में कुछ गुंडों ने एक परिवार के घर में जबरन घुसकर उत्पात मचाया था और 20 तथा 14 वर्ष की दो लड़कियों के साथ गैंगरेप किया था। लड़कियों के मामा-मामी को गुंडों ने बाँधकर पिटाई की जिससे दंपति की मौत हो गई थी।

हालाँकि, पुलिस पूरे मामले के गौरक्षकों से संबंधित होने से लगातार इन्कार कर रही है। वरिष्ठ पुलिस अधिकारी तो यहाँ तक कह रहे हैं कि पीड़ितों ने भी अपने बयान में गौरक्षकों का नाम नहीं लिया है। राज्य सरकार ने मामले की जाँच सीबीआई से करने की सिफारिश कर दी है।
 
सामाजिक कार्यकर्ता शबनम हाशमी के साथ दिल्ली में गैंगरेप पीड़िता ने बताया, "वे लोग पूछ रहे थे कि क्या तुम लोग गौमांस खाती हो। हमने इन्कार किया लेकिन वे कहते रहे कि तुम लोग गौमांस खाते हो, इसलिए तुम्हारी यही सजा है।"
हरियाणा पुलिस ने मामले में चार लोगों को गिरफ्तार किया है। घटना के बाद से ही मेवात इलाके में तनाव फैला हुआ है।
 
पिछले कुछ महीनों में ऐसी कई घटनाएँ हुई हैं, जिनमें गौरक्षक दलों ने जानवरों की तस्करी रोकने के नाम पर कई लोगों पर हमले किए हैं। जून में एक वाहन के चालक को गौमांस ले जाने के आरोप में पीटा गया था। गौरक्षकों की ही शिकायत पर मेवात में बिरयानी की दुकानों पर पुलिस सैंपल लेकर उनमें गौमांस होने की जाँच करवा रही है।

हरियाणा में गौहत्या, गौमांस बेचना और रखना कानूनी जुर्म है और ऐसा करने पर दस साल तक का कारावास और एक लाख से पाँच लाख रुपए तक का जुर्माना का प्रावधान है।

The post गौरक्षक ही थे मेवात में गैंगरेप करने वाले : पीड़िता का आरोप appeared first on SabrangIndia.