The Instagram account @teamMonuManesar proudly welcomed their Gau Raksha Dal leader back into the foray of cow vigilantism a few days ago. Monu Manesar was a suspect in the killings of Junaid and Nasir from Rajasthan whose charred bodies were found in a burnt vehicle in Haryana on February 16. Junaid and Nasir were killed on suspicion of cow slaughter.

He was touted to be the main accused who orchestrated the murders. However, soon after the news of the murders broke out, Manesar was absconding and remained in hiding for a while on March 27 he made a comeback on social media. He is back to doing what he is known for, criminal intimidation and assault of truck drivers who are found transporting cattle in the state. His name was also dropped from the list of suspects in the Junaid-Nasir murder case.

On Saturday, Rajasthan police arrested two more accused in the case namely, Monu Rana and Monu alia Gogi. Notices have also been issued to Haryana Gauraksha Dal’s Vice President and some co-workers for being involved in this crime.

Before Manesar officially made a comeback, the page was posting content in support of Manesar akin to the Maha panchayats that were held in small villages of Haryana, where the Rajasthan police were threatened by Gauraksha Dal members against entering Manesar’s house or questioning his family. Many videos were uploaded to support him, with captions like “Sanatanis are proud of Monu Manesar” and so on.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by _official___guru____ (@_official___guru____)

From March 27, his videos have started appearing on this account again, so it appears he has surfaced out of hiding.

On April 6, this video was posted with a voiceover, where Manesar was seen in the frame with some other men, threatening that he is back and the camera was also focused on a rifle kept on a table in front of him.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by टीम मोनू मानेसर (@teammonumanesar)

Another video was posted last week, showing  how the Gaurakshaks had caught an alleged cow smuggler and a picture of the man, bruised on his face was also displayed, along with their infamous motto “Jab tab todenge nahi tab tak chhodenge nahi (We will not spare you until we break your bones)”.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by टीम मोनू मानेसर (@teammonumanesar)

Related:

Haryana: More cow vigilantism incidents were reported in April, state district-level special committees fail to act

Cow vigilantism continues with impunity in northern states of India

The threat and lawlessness of “Gau-Rakshaks” in North India

Curb on internet, SMS in Nuh as protests demanding justice for Junaid-Nasir escalate

Monu Manesar not an accused in Junaid Nasir murder

The post The poster boy of cow vigilantism, Monu Manesar, is back appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Photo: YouTube screengrab

The trial has been recently completed, two years after Pehlu Khan, the dairy farmer from Nuh, who was lynched by a mob at least 200 people who called themselves as ‘gau rakshaks’ or cow vigilantes.  After hearing the final arguments in the case against the accused, additional district judge of the local court Sarita Swami posted the case for judgment on 14 August. About 45 witnesses have given their statements including 2 sons of Pehlu Khan who survived the mob assault.

Pehlu Khan, 55 years and 6 others were travelling back to their village in Nuh after purchasing cows and calves from a cattle fair in Jaipur, Rajasthan on April 1. Pehlu Khan wanted to increase the milk production in his dairy and had purchased the cows for this purpose. They were stopped at a crossing at Jaipur-Delhi national high way by cow vigilantes who accused them of smuggling the cows for slaughter. Pehlu Khan, was brutally beaten up by these self-styled cow vigilantes near Behror in Rajasthan on the Delhi-Alwar highway on April 1, accusing him of smuggling cattle. He succumbed to his injuries at a private hospital. The lynching was caught on camera. The attackers were not convinced even when Pehlu Khan and others showed them the legal documents of the purchase they had made at the fair or when they were told the cows were purchased for their dairy. The frenzied Hindutva mob tore up the documents and beat Pehlu Khan, his 2 sons and others who were with them with sticks and rods.

Pehlu Khan succumbed to severe injuries and died on April 3-4, 2017. Others were seriously injured. The mob also robbed these persons of their cell phones and money. Before Pehlu’s death he recorded a dying declaration against six persons. Ironically the six persons against whom there was this direct evidence were given a ‘clean chit” by CID Crime!

There were two FIRs registered in the case. One was against the mob for beating Pehlu Khan to death and second against him and his family for transporting cattle (cow) illegally out of the state. The police had earlier given a clean chit to the six people accused of lynching Pehlu Khan, a dairy farmer. The police’s decision was reportedly based on statements of the staff of a cow shelter and mobile phone records.

The police had registered cases against some of the accused for voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful restrain and culpable homicide and later added murder after the death of Pehlu Khan.

Shockingly, the Rajasthan Police filed a chargesheet for cow smuggling against Pehlu Khan, who was allegedly lynched in 2017 by a mob of ‘gau rakshaks’ in Alwar for transporting cattle, and his two sons. The police chargesheeted Pehlu Khan’s sons Irsad (25) and Arif (22) under sections 5, 8 and 9 while charges have been framed against the deceased under section 6 of the Rajasthan Bovine Animal (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, 1995. The chargesheet against Pehlu Khan was prepared on December 30 last year, 13 days after Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s government came into power in Rajasthan.Section 5 of the RBA Act pertains to the prohibition of the export of bovine animals for the purpose of slaughter and regulation of temporary migration or export for other purposes, while section 6 says the transporter is also an abettor and is liable for the same punishment as the person committing the offence.Section 8 is about the penalty for such offences while Section 9 mentions punishment for causing hurt to a bovine animal. In 2018, the previous BJP government in the state had filed a similar chargesheet against two associates of Pehlu Khan, who were also attacked by the mob.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot responded to the backlash saying, “Investigation of this case was done in the past during BJP government and charge sheet was presented. If any discrepancies will be found in the investigation, case will be re-investigated.”

In October 2017, an independent investigation by journalist Ajit Sahi had highlighted the unprofessionalism in the investigations.

• Journalist Ajit Sahi’s 4-month investigation reveals police inaction
• Appears to be a pattern in around 30 similar lynchings: Sahi
• Lynching cases, including Pehlu Khan’s, likely to be clubbed and moved to courts

10 LOOPHOLES

1. The FIR says that the police first heard of Pehlu Khan at 4:24 am on April 2. The incident happened around 7 pm on April 1 and just 2 km from the police station.

2. Even though the police had not heard of the incident till the early hours of April 2, the dying declaration of Pehlu Khan had already been recorded by the police at 11:50 pm on April 1.

3. It was in fact the police who had brought Khan and his son to the hospital half an hour after the lynching took place on April 1. But The FIR however does not name the policemen as witnesses.

4. Pehlu Khan, a resident of Nuh in Haryana, was a stranger in Alwar and yet named the six as his assailants as well as the right-wing organisations that they worked for. The police ignored the dying declaration and gave all the 6 a clean chit.

5. The alibi the six came up with was that they were at a gaushala at the time of the lynching. Coincidentally, one of the accused is the caretaker of the gaushala and the eyewitnesses to the alibi are all employees of the caretaker.

6. The six also said in their alibi that their mobile phones were not at the crime scene. The police chose to take this as conclusive evidence.

7. The accused were absconding for 5 months but mysteriously appeared before the police when called and recorded their statements that they were not at the crime scene.

8. If the above was not enough, the post mortem report is another revelation. Three government doctors at Behror said the death was due to injuries sustained during the attack.

9. The police chose to overlook the report of government doctors and instead relied upon the testimony of doctors at a private hospital Kailash Hospital, which coincidentally belongs to Union minister Mahesh Sharma.

10. The private doctors said Pehlu Khan was fine when he came to the hospital but at the same time admitted that he was bleeding from the nose and complaining of chest pain. The doctors concluded Khan died of a heart attack.

Here’s a timeline of the case:

April 1, 2017: Pehlu Khan and few others were returning from Jaipur to his village in Nuh, Haryana, carrying cows.
Ø A group of cow vigilantes stopped them on Behror highway and started thrashing them over suspicion that the bovines were being illegally transported.
Ø Pehlu Khan was seriously injured and rushed to a hospital.
Ø His mates in the van also received injuries.

April 2, 2017: Instead of registering a case against the mob that thrashed Khan and his mates, Rajasthan Police register a complaint against Khan and his sons Irshad and Arif under the Rajasthan Bovine Animal (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, 1995.

April 3, 2017: Pehlu Khan succumbs to his injuries at around 7 PM in the hospital.

April 5, 2017: Police file a murder case against the attackers and put a reward of Rs 5,000 for any information leading to the arrest of the suspects.
Ø FIR lodged against the gau rakshaks under IPC Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 147 (destruction of property), 308 (culpable homicide) and 379 (theft). After Khan’s death, the police have added Section 302 (murder) as well.
Ø Police arrest 3 people in connection with the case.

April 6, 2017: Reports on Pehlu Khan’s statement given to the police start emerging.
Ø In the statement, Khan had named gau rakshaks allegedly linked to Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).

April 7, 2017: The Rajasthan government submits a preliminary report to the Home Ministry about the incident.
Ø One more arrest made in connection with the case, taking the total number of arrests to 4.
Ø MHA constitutes a special team to investigate and arrest the culprits.
Ø The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issues notice to Rajasthan government in the lynching of Pehlu Khan in Alwar by cow vigilantes.
Ø Commission also asks Union Home Ministry to inform about the steps being taken to deal with such incidents in the country.

April 9, 2017: Alwar Police arrests 2 more people in connection with the case, taking the number of arrests to 6.

April 20, 2017: Vipin Yadav, one of the six people named in the FIR lodged after Khan’s death, is compared with freedom fighter Bhagat Singh by a self-styled god-woman.

May 3, 2017: A 17-year-old youth detained by the Alwar Police in connection with the Pehlu Khan lynching case.
Ø The accused, who is a school student, was identified on the basis of a video in which a mob is seen assaulting Khan and others.

May 11, 2017: Rajasthan Police changes the investigation officer (IO) in the case.
Ø The probe is taken away from the deputy SP of Alwar police and handed over to an additional SP of Jaipur rural police.

May, 2017: Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje breaks her silence over increasing mob violence. Says, “Mob violence is unacceptable and those found guilty will be severely punished”.

June 12, 2017: Around 50 cow vigilantes target officials of the Tamil Nadu government transporting cows from Jaisalmer to their state, pelt stones at a truck and block National Highway 15 on suspicion of cattle smuggling in Rajasthan’s Barmer district.

June 16, 2017: A CPI-ML worker Zafar Khan was allegedly lynched by civic sanitation workers in Rajasthan’s Pratapgarh district when he tried to stop the civic body workers from photographing women defecating in the open.

July 9, 2017: Alwar lynching case is transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department – Crime Branch (CB-CID). This is the third time the case changed hands.

August 31, 2017: Rajasthan High Court grants bail to 19-year-old Vipin Yadav.

September 13, 2017: Rajasthan Police gives a clean chit to six men accused in the killing of Pehlu Khan.
The police came to the decision based on statements of the staff of a cow shelter and mobile phone records, a daily reported.

Related Articles:

1.  Cow Slaughter Prevention Laws in India https://cjp.org.in/cow-slaughter-prevention-laws-in-india/
2.  Murder of Pehlu Khan
3.  Shocking! Alwar lynching victim Pehlu Khan chargsheeted posthumously by the Congress government

The post Judgement in Pehlu Khan Case tomorrow: 2017 Lynching, Alwar appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The trial has been completed on Wednesday two years after Pehlu Khan, the dairy farmer from Nuh, who was lynched by a mob at least 200 people who called themselves as ‘gau rakshaks’ or cow vigilantes.

After hearing the final arguments in the case against the accused, additional district judge of the local court Sarita Swami posted the case for judgment on 14 August. And about 47 witnesses have given their statements including 2 sons of Pehlu Khan who survived the mob assault.
Pehlu Khan, 55 years and 6 others were travelling back to their village in Nuh after purchasing cows and calves from a cattle fair in Jaipur, Rajasthan on April 1. Pehlu Khan wanted to increase the milk production in his dairy and had purchased the cows for this purpose.

They were not convinced even when Pehlu Khan and others showed them the legal documents of the purchase they had made at the fair or when they were told the cows were purchased for their dairy. The frenzied Hindutva mob tore up the documents and beat Pehlu Khan, his 2 sons and others who were with them with sticks and rods.

Pehlu Khan succumbed to the injuries and died on April 4, 2017. And the others were seriously injured. The mob also robbed these persons of their cell phones and money.

The police had registered cases against some of the accused for voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful restrain and culpable homicide and later added murder after the death of Pehlu Khan.

All the accused are out on bail at present.

The government of Rajasthan has also registered a case against the victims Pehlu Khan, his sons and another person for allegedly smuggling cows in May 2019.
 
Courtesy: Two Circle

The post Pehlu Khan lynching case: Judgment on 14th August appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The aim of Gau Raksha is to instil fear among the Dalits, adivasis and Muslims, to economically disempower rural working people, and to further consolidate the political dominance of the BJP.

 

The post Economic Implications of Restrictions on Cow Slaughter appeared first on SabrangIndia.

 
Expressing strong outrage at the growing incidents of such unfettered and barbaric violence, the Court said, “Such incidents are unfathomable and just cannot be allowed to happen.” The Supreme Court was hearing a petition filed against the menace of lynching that has begun targeting minorities and Dalits, a bench consisting of Chief Justice Dipak Mishra, AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud has posted the matter (soliciting the state’s response) for orders. Directions are expected within the next few weeks though it is expected that the matter will be kept pending by the Court to ensure compliance by the states.

While a batch of petitions were heard on the issue, the core petition was argued by senior counsel Sanjay R. Hedge assisted by Anas Tanvir who appeared before the court. They also submitted the Guidelines detailed below. On April 17 last year, the Supreme Court had issued notice on this petition. The Central government had been compelled to state that it did not support this violent vigilantism.

The appointment of a Nodal officer in all districts who is required to take steps against provocative messaging (and videos) as also rumour mongering is a crucial first step to curtailing this kind of targeted violence. Besides, timely and quality legal aid to the victims of marginalised communities in case an incident takes place as also compensation within 30 days is a crucial aspect outlined in the guidelines. The original prayer in the petition also called for a repeal of the ‘bad laws’ that sanctified vigilantism. (Declaring Section 40 of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals act, 1960, Section 12 of the Gujarat Animal Prevention Act, 1954, Section 13 of Maharashtra Animal Prevention Act, 1976, Section 15 of Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964 as Unconstitutional.)

Read the extensive report on the petition here.

The writ petition, filed by Dalit leader and social activist Martin Macwan, seeking directions to various State Governments to take immediate and necessary actions against the Cow Protection Groups also referred as Gau Raksha Dals and to the Central Government to ban such gangs/groups, comes up for hearing in the Supreme Court on July 3, 2018. The     petition, filed in 2017, also prays for the removal of violent content uploaded by these Gau  Raksha Dals on various modes of social media and compensation from the concerned state governments for the victims of violence committed by these ‘vigilantes’.

The petition had initially sought that the Court takes steps against cow protection groups indulging in violence across the country. The Petitioner has brought to the notice of this Court, a series of incidents which have resulted in the loss of livelihood, injury and death of persons at the hands of self-styled vigilante groups/lynch mobs.

However, given the alarming increase in rise of in incidents of lynching/mob-violence across the Country, we are of the opinion that it is necessary to lay down guidelines for the effective protection of the constitutional rights of vulnerable persons, to punish acts of lynching/mob-violence and to provide for rehabilitation of its victim and their families.

Several states have cow protection laws that in fact empower non-state actors to take law into their own hands and often indulge in violence against vulnerable sections.

Proposed Guidelines

Preventive Measures

• Each state should nominate a senior police officer, not below the rank of Superintendent of Police, as the Nodal Officer in each District. The nodal officer shall ensure that preventive measures are taken against incidents of mob violence/lynching. In performing his functions, the nodal officer shall be aided by the Officer In-charge of the police station of the concerned areas.
• The State Governments should forthwith identify Districts, Sub-Divisions and/or Villages where instances of lynching/mob-violence have been reported in the recent past, e.g., in the last five years.The Secretary, Home Department of the concerned States shall issue directives/advisories to the Nodal Officer of the concerned Districts for ensuring that special care is taken to prevent incidents of lynching/mob-violence in identified areas.
• Every police officer, directly in charge of maintaining law and order in an area shall take all reasonable steps to prevent any act of lynching including its incitement and commission. In doing so, he shall make all possible efforts to identify and prohibit instances of dissemination of offensive material or any other means employed in order to incite or promote lynching of a particular person or group of persons.
• Every police officer, directly in charge of maintaining law and order in an area shall make all possible efforts to identify patterns of violence in the area under his jurisdiction, that indicate occurrence of targeted violence, including the creation or existence of hostile environment against a person or group of persons.
• It shall be the duty of every police officer, directly in charge of maintaining law and order in an area,to exercise his authority on a mob in order to cause it to disperse. In exercise of his authority, such a police officer may use such powers as vested in him under Section 129 of the Code.

Remedial Measures

• If an incident of lynching/mob-violence takes place despite the measures taken by the state, the jurisdictional police station shall immediately lodge an F.I.R. under the appropriate provisions of law. Intimation of the registration of the FIR shall be promptly given to the Nodal Officer in the district who, in turn, shall ensure that effective investigation is carried out.
• Cases where a charge sheet is not filed within a period of three months from the date of registration of the First Information Report shall be reviewed by the Nodal Officer. The Nodal Officer may pass orders for a fresh investigation by another officer not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police when he is of the considered opinion that the same is necessary.
• Immediate steps shall be taken by the district administration to provide security to the victim of lynching/mob-violence and his/her family members.
• The State Government through the office of the Chief Secretary shall provide Compensation to victims of lynching within 30 days of the incident. Where the death of a person has occurred as a consequence of lynching, the compensation for such death shall be paid to the next of kin of the deceased.
• While computing compensation, the State Government must give due regard to the bodily injury, psychological injury, material injury and loss of earnings including loss opportunity of employment and education, expenses incurred on account of legal and medicinal assistance.
• Wherever it is found that a police officer, or an officer of the district administration has deliberately not complied with these directions or has failed to exercise the power legally vested in him in order to prevent or investigate an act of lynching/mob-violence, such action will be regarded as wilful negligence/misconduct. Disciplinary action as per extant service rules must be taken against the same. An enquiry regarding the same must be concluded within 6 months.

Measures for an Effective Trial

• Incidents of lynching/mob-violence shall be tried by specially designated fast-track courts in each district. Such a Court shall hold the trial of an offence on a day-to-day basis. The trial shall preferably be concluded within six months of the date of taking cognizance of the offence.
• A Designated court may, on an application made by a witness in any proceedings before it or by the Public Prosecutor in relation to such witness or on its own motion, take such measures as it deems fit for keeping the identity and address of the witness secret.
• A victim shall have the right to reasonable, accurate, and timely notice of any court proceeding. He or she shall be entitled to be heard at any proceeding under this Act in respect of bail, discharge, release, parole, conviction or sentence of an accused or any connected proceedings or arguments and file written submissions on conviction, acquittal or sentencing.
• A victim shall be entitled to receive free legal aid if he/ she so chooses and to engage any advocate who he or she chooses from among those enrolled in the legal aid panel under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 and the Legal Aid Services Authority established under the said Act shall pay all costs, expenses and fees of the advocate appointed by the victim or informant in accordance with relevant rules.
• It shall be the duty and responsibility of the State Government for making arrangements for the protection of victims, and witnesses against any kind of intimidation, coercion or inducement or violence or threats of violence.

Related:

Victims of Gautankwad: Pehlu Khan
Victims of Gautankwad: Alimuddin Ansari
Cow Slaughter Prevention Laws in India
11 convicted including local BJP leader
Want Justice, Not Revenge
The Murder of Pehlu Khan
 

The post Issue Guidelines to Curb Cow Vigilantes, Protect Victims, SC Told appeared first on SabrangIndia.

 
Godda: It’s been a week since the news of two Muslim men being lynched on the suspicion of stealing cattle came in. A few days after the incident, The Bharatiya Janata Party’s MP from Godda in Jharkhand, Nishikant Dubey said that he will provide the legal expenses of those arrested in connection to the case. He alleged that the accused tribals were arrested due to pressure from the Congress and demanded an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the case.
 
“The arrests were made under pressure from Opposition parties. The Congress, on one hand, says tribals can’t murder, and on the other, they got the tribals arrested. How can four persons be identified when a thousand people gathered (during the incident)?” Dubey told PTI. “I will foot the legal expenses of the arrested persons from the lower court to the Supreme Court,” he said.
 
Munshi Murmu, Kaleshwar Soren, Kishan Rai Tudu and Johan Kisku were arrested for orchestrating the attack. Dubey condemned the violence on Friday last week but wondered whether the four tribals were being wrongly implicated.
 
“A poor person has the constitutional right to get free legal assistance. It is the duty of the state to provide such person free legal aid. Since I am the public representative of this area, I conceded to their request to help them out. The families of the arrested accused approached me seeking legal assistance for them. They are poor villagers and could not bear the expenses,” said Dubey in a report by Hindustan Times said.
 
Sirajuddin Ansari (45), aka Charaku, and Murtaza Ansari (40) were suspected to have stolen buffaloes at Dullu village in Deodand, 45km from Godda district headquarters. They were beaten to death in Bankati village by enraged residents of the neighbouring tribal-dominated Dullu village, who suspected them and three others of stealing their buffaloes. After a night-long search, the villagers had allegedly caught the two with the cattle and then beat them to death. Three others suspected to be involved in cattle theft had managed to escape. They were among the five people who had entered Dullu village to allegedly steal buffaloes on Tuesday and were caught by the mob at Bankatti village. A video circulating on social media shows one of them being hung over a bamboo pole with a head injury and being dragged on the ground.
 
“Dubey has represented Godda twice in Parliament and he is a member of several parliamentary committees, including public accounts and finance. Asked if he will help families of the murdered men, Dubey said that none from their side had approached him. “I would provide similar help to the victims if they want,” he said in the report by HT.
 
Congress accuses BJP-RSS for attack
Talking to TOI, Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee team member and Jamtara MLA Irfan Ansari alleged that the lynching took place in one village and the bodies were dumped in a tribal-dominated village to implicate them in the case.  “We were told that BJP leaders and RSS workers had visited the village a week before the lynching took place,” he said and accused BJP of polarising people on communal lines.
 
He called Dubey’s eagerness to bear all legal expenses of the four persons as “shameful.”
 
In a report by The Telegraph, Ansari said the developments lent credence to his claims of BJP-RSS orchestrating the attack on members of a particular community over false charges of cattle theft. He also alleged that the BJP-RSS had engineered the plot to attack a particular community and create an atmosphere of terror. He also accused Dubey of having a role in the incident. “I visited the village where the incident took place. After talking to the local people and watching the videos, it became clear that the attack wasn’t triggered by cattle theft. The attack was intended at targeting a particular community. Ek sharyantra ke tahat, adivasiyon ko aage kar diya gaya hai (It was a conspiracy and the adivasis have been made the scapegoat) I believe that it could also be the handiwork of the local MP (Dubey) who is now trying to save real accused,” he said.
 
Irfan said Dubey was not concerned about the people of Santhal Parganas or else he would have sympathised with the bereaved families.
 
Police still says it was not cow vigilantism
In the PTI report, Godda Superintendent of Police Rajiv Ranjan Singh maintained that it was a case of cattle theft and strongly denied cow vigilantism as the reason. “From day one, we have told the media that it is a pure case of theft and not cow vigilantism,” Singh said, adding that all the four arrested — identified as Kameshwar Soren, Kishan Rai, Bhukul Kishku and Munsi Murmu — were sent to judicial custody on Friday.
 
Two FIRs have been registered in connection with the lynching case.
 
The first complaint was lodged by one of the arrested persons, Munsi Murmu, under sections 379 (theft) and 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The other complaint was filed by Imran Ansari, the father of one of the deceased, Charuku, under the IPC’s sections 147 (rioting), 148 (armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly guilty of offence), 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 302 (murder), the police said.
 
Charuku had faced two cases of cattle theft in the neighbouring Dumka district, they said. The other deceased was identified as Murtaza Ansari.
 
SP Singh said that the victims had a criminal past and had cases of cattle theft registered against them. “It has come to light that Charku Ansari had gone to jail in a property offence. One of Murtaza’s brother was also sent to jail in a dacoity case recently. Further antecedents are being verified,” said Singh in a previous report.
 

The post BJP MP to foot legal bill of lynching accused in Jharkhand appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Representation Image
 
Meerut: Its only been a few days since two men were lynched in Jharkhand’s Godda district that news of another mob lynching has surfaced again, but this time in Meerut, UP. 45-year-old Qasim, a cattle trader was beaten to death and his friend 55-year-old Sameyddin is critically injured after a mob attacked them on the suspicion of cow slaughter. The incident occurred in Hapur’s Bajhera Khurd village on Monday.
 
“A video of the purported incident surfaced on Tuesday in which unidentified voices can be heard justifying the attack, terming it “punishment for cow slaughter.” The video shows a man with multiple injuries lying in the middle of a field, writhing in pain. He is surrounded by a large group of people, one of whom is heard saying that “there is no need to give him water,” reported Times of India.
 
“Qasim, 45, a cattle trader, received a call from someone who claimed to be a seller of cattle, asking him to come to Bajhaida Khurd, said his son Mahtab. The next thing he got to know was that his father was dead. “This looks like a conspiracy. It needs to be investigated,” said Mr. Mahtab, a resident of Siddiqpura village, next to Bajhaida Khurd,” reported the Hindu.
 
The family of Sameyddin, a resident of Madapur, told The Hindu that he had gone to get grass for the cattle. He saw someone being beaten after which he got scared and ran. He was cornered and brutally beaten by the mob.
 
Some local sources said that both the victims were shooing away a cow a calf that had entered their field when someone spread the rumour of people smuggling cows from farmlands for cow slaughter. A mob armed with lathis gathered at the spot. The local administration, on the other hand, said that it was a case of road rage.
 
“The mob went towards the village in the vicinity, Madapur, and found Qasim and Sameyddin working in the farm. It attacked them with sticks. As the news of the lynching spread, officials immediately reached the spot. Circle Officer Pawan Kumar and police station in charge Ashwini Kumar took the injured to a local private hospital where Qasim was declared ‘brought dead’ by doctors. Police have rejected villagers’ allegation of cow slaughter rumours as the basis of the lynching. They have detained five people in connection with the incident. Given the sensitivity of the matter, senior officials from Hapur, including Superintendent of Police Sankalp Sharma, Assistant Superintendent of Police Rammohan Singh and the Sub-Divisional Magistrate Hanuman Prasad reached the police station,” reported The Hindu.
 
SP Hapur Sankalp Sharma said, “The victim’s family has given us a written complaint, saying that the beating and the fight was triggered after a motorbike hit some people. One person died and another was assaulted.”
 
The report further added that as the news of Qasim’s death spread, residents of Bajhaida Khurd and Madapur confronted each other, leading to communal tension in the area. “Police and personnel of the PAC were immediately deployed in the area. The residents of Bajhaida Khurd alleged that Qasim was trying to smuggle the local cows and when they protested, he started attacking the villagers. Sameyddin’s family members alleged that he was cutting grass for his cattle when he was picked up and beaten by local villagers,” it said.

The post Man lynched in Meerut over cow slaughter rumour appeared first on SabrangIndia.

 

The post In Dadri Reminder, Mob Lynches a Man in Hapur Over Cow Slaughter Rumours appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Ranchi, Jharkand: Over the past decade or so, “protecting cows” has become a synonym for inflicting violence and spreading hate against Muslims and have been used to create a situation where Muslims are presented as a natural enemy of every cow in India.

In such times, it is almost difficult to believe that there can be a Gau Rakshak Dals (“Cow Protection” Organisations) created and run by Muslims too. Yet, this is exactly the case in Jharkhand, which has a ‘Bharatiya Muslim Gau Rakshak Dal’(Indian Muslim Cow Protection Organisation). Yet, as fate would have it, even members of these Muslim Gau Rakshak Dal are now scared of the actions of the right-wing Hindu organisations like Bajrang Dal and have decided to take a backseat.

Qamar Siddipuri, a member of the Bharatiya Muslim Gau Raksha Dal in Ranchi, says that he joined the organisation out of respect for his Hindu brethren. “When cows are considered so sacred by our Hindu brothers and sisters, it is only natural for us to strive to protect cows. Doing this is also an attempt to respect the Ganga-Jamuni tradition of the nation along with fighting those who wish to destroy such a tradition. But now things have changed so drastically, nothing is in our hand. When the current Gau Rakshaks are out to kill Muslims, what can we do? Protect cows or ourselves?

Explaining the work of their organisation, Siddipuri says that they were involved in feeding cows that were found loitering on the streets. Impressed by their work, local “cow protection” groups including the Kamdhenu Gurukul Peetham Gau Anusandhan Kendra, Vanvasi Seva Ashram and the convener of Saptashri Vasundhara Bharati–Surendra Bharati Maharaj–had complimented their work. “They were ready to provide us with all the help we needed, but now no one dares to come forward…in front of the new-age Gau Rakshaks, even the old guard has decided to go silent,” Siddipuri adds.

The president of the organisation, Azad Ahmed, in a conversation with TwoCircles.net, says that one of the key objectives of the organisation was to take old cattle from farmers who had no use for them and hand them over to the state government as the farmers were unable to sell them. “We bought up to 700-800 cattle in the past but the situation got so critical that we had to stop. Who knows? Just as Muslims, Dalits and Adivasis have been targeted across the nation, we could be next” he adds.

Anwaar, another member of the same organisation from Jamshedpur, says that across Jharkhand, almost every district has a market for the sale and purchase of cattle. “Who sells these cattle?” he asks. “There has been a ban on consumption of beef since 1958 in this region…so it is natural that even Muslims and Adivasis buy cattle for farming and/or dairy purposes. But when Muslims started trading in these cattle, it upset the Sangh Parivar. If you look closely, the role of business rivalries in almost all attacks in Jharkhand is extremely important and visible,” he adds.

Contrary to the perception that the so-called Gau Rakshaks protect cows, Anwaar says they instead indulge in stealing expensive cattle from Adivasis, Dalits and Muslims. “Then they go on to sell them at high profits,” he adds. “If you look at all the attacks in Jharkhand in the name of the cow, there are no cases where cattle have been found. So where do they disappear?” he asks.

The National Secretary of All India Minority Social Welfare Front, Babar Khan, says it is high time that the terror spread in the name of cow protection is stopped. “When there is a legal ban on killing cows, why isn’t this the responsibility of the local administration and the police? Why should vigilantes be in charge?” he asks.

Explaining the nature of the attacks, Khan says that even when someone buys a cow for the purpose of consuming/selling milk, they are attacked. “If you want an absolute ban on even sale/purchase of cattle, then ban the local markets. Neither will someone sell cattle nor will someone buy them. The so-called Gau Rakshaks keep an eye only on certain people; they attack them when they see it fit,” he adds.

All this is a far cry from what was envisaged by the Bharatiya Muslim Gau Raksha Dal, which had several units across Jharkhand. The organisation wanted to work for national integration.The organisation also made it a rule that if someone wanted to keep an old or ill cattle at home and take care of it, they must guarantee their safety in writing. Else, the cattle would be handed over to the nearest Gaushala. The members of the organisation were even organising public campaigns to create awareness for the same. However, given the current climate, the organisation believes that doing nothing is the best do. That, they believe, is the best they can do now to protect their own lives.

Courtesy: Two Circles

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Photo credit: Indian Express

The Open Letter expresses deep concern at the continuing brutal violence and widespread discrimination targeting minorities as also the wholly lackadaisical response of law enforcement authorities to these attacks. The letter calls upon the Hon’ble Prime Minister and his Government  to give an immediate and clear response on these issues and to take firm action against the perpetrators of such hate crimes by various law enforcement agencies. In conclusion, it urges those who belong to the majority community to stand up, oppose and publicly condemn the communalization of our society and our country.

January 28, 2011

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