Violent punishment by mobs to the suspects of cow slaughter was justified to either a “great” or “some” extent. Close to two in every five respondents –police personnel surveyed across 18 states — (that is a 38% of the total of 8,276 subjects) also believed this, that violent punishment by mobs to “suspects of cow slaughter” was somewhat justified. This is similar to the finding from a previous survey of police personnel published in the Status of Policing in India Report 2019 where a similar question was asked about their support for mob violence in cases of cow slaughter—35 percent of police personnel justified such mob violence (15% “to a large extent” and 20% “to some extent”) (SPIR, 2019). More than a quarter of the police personnel surveyed (see details below), who from IPS-level ranks supported mob violence to a great degree (Figure 2.8, Table 2.8)

These are only some of the worrying findings from a recent study on the ‘Status of Policing in India Report’ (SPIR 2025) conducted by Lokniti, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies in collaboration with Common Cause that read together, shed light on this grim reality. The study, which analysed responses from 8, 276 police personnel across 82 locations in 17 States including Delhi, provides insights into the culture of abuse behind closed doors.

When asked if it is acceptable for the police to use violence against suspects of serious offences for the greater good of society, nearly two out of three police personnel (63%) surveyed, agreed. Of them, 22% strongly agreed and 41% moderately agreed. A notable 35% of the officers opposed the idea. Support for violence against suspected serious offenders remained consistent across ranks.

When surveyors asked policemen and women about torture, a significant number of police personnel expressed strong support for its use in interrogations across various crime categories. The highest support was for cases related to national security, such as terrorism, with 42% strongly backing torture. Over a third (34%) also strongly supported its use in cases of rape, sexual assault, and serious violent crimes such as murder (Table 2.6). Additionally, 28% strongly agreed that torture must be used against history-sheeters.

Mob violence involves targeted acts of violence perpetrated by a large group of individuals who perceive that they are administering punishment to a suspected wrongdoer, bypassing the rule of law entirely. It is very alarming that such a significant proportion of police personnel justify mob violence. For law enforcement officers to support open violence which entails suspension of the law itself, as a means of delivering so- called punishment to a person, is an absolute negation of the constitutional oath they swear to uphold. Similar to the support shown by police respondents to impermissible measures towards crime control, this significant support for mob violence signals police propensities towards violence and unbridled power. Incidents of the police not only overlooking such violence, but their active complicity have been reported on multiple occasions.[1]

Among other key findings in the over 200 page study are that

• One in 10 police personnel believes that couples displaying affection in public places should be detained!!
• More than half of the police personnel believe that hijras/transgenders/ homosexual people are a bad influence on society and the police need to deal with them strictly.

• Police personnel strongly support the use of more preventive arrests of ‘anti-social elements’ (48%) and forming special squads that can detain people indefinitely (43%). Both measures disregard legal standards.
• Twenty-percent of the police personnel feel that it is very important for the police to use tough methods to create fear amongst the public, another 35 percent think it’s somewhat important.
• One in four police personnel strongly justify mob violence in cases of sexual harassment (27%) and child lifting/kidnapping (25%). Across various categories of crime, constabulary and IPS officers are the most likely to justify mob violence, and upper subordinate officers are the least likely to do so. Police personnel from Gujarat showed the highest support, while those from Kerala showed the least support for mob violence.
• Twenty-two percent police personnel feel that the rich and powerful are “naturally prone” to committing crimes to a great extent, and 18 percent feel that Muslims are “naturally prone” to committing crimes to a great
• The survey was conducted across 17 states and UTs. State-level trends mirrored the all- India findings of the highest number of arrests in minor offences, also falling foul of the law. Police personnel in Odisha reported the highest proportion of arrests (46%) for the crimes of theft and extortion, followed by Nagaland (38%) and West Bengal (37%). The data further shows that police respondents from Punjab (60%) reported the most arrests – that is, six in every ten – against the crime of loitering and public nuisance, distantly followed by Nagaland and Maharashtra (29% and 25% respectively)
• The police responses also reveal that the highest proportions of arrests conducted for bodily crimes (such as murder, assault and kidnapping) were reported in Assam (30%), closely followed by Gujarat (28%), Maharashtra (26%) and Jharkhand (26%). Further, as per the survey, police personnel from Uttar Pradesh (UP) reported the highest proportion of arrests (25%) for crimes against women, followed by West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh in equal proportions (22% each). In terms of arrests, the official data corresponds with the survey finding that the highest proportion of arrests for crimes against women was made in UP (1,01,754, as per Crime in India 2022).
• Almost half of the police respondents believed that mob violence was justified to either “a great extent” or “some extent” in the cases of sexual harassment and assault (49%), child lifting or kidnapping (47%) and petty theft like pick-pocketing or chain-snatching (46%).

As was evident in studies conducted in previous years, anti-Muslim bias is high among police personnel with the corresponding disregard for due process and justification for mob violence. In keeping with attitudes towards contempt for due process (preventive detention, procedure during arrests), coercion (torture, a large section of policemen and the officers of law enforcement agencies appear to have communal bias in their perception about Muslims, who they believe are “naturally prone” towards committing crime to a great extent. This is yet another finding of the “Status of Policing in India Report-2025” (SPIR), released in New Delhi recently, which has pointed to a clear display of prejudices among the police personnel.

In this extensive survey and analysis, the SPIR-2025 has explored the nature, causes and factors that contribute to the perpetuation of police violence and torture in the country. It seeks to understand the police’s attitudes towards torture and the normalisation of its use and includes the perspectives and experiences of other accountability actors, such as doctors, lawyers, and judges.

Previous studies may be read here and here.

In the study, a large number of police personnel in Delhi, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat believe that Muslims have been analysed as naturally prone towards committing crime to a great extent. One in every five (19%) among the Hindu police personnel feels that to a “great extent”, Muslims are naturally prone to commit crimes, while one-thirds (34%) feel the same to “some extent”, while Sikh police officers were least likely to hold this opinion.

Out of the surveyed states, more than two-thirds of the police personnel in the states of Rajasthan (70%), Maharashtra (68%), Madhya Pradesh (68%), West Bengal (68%), Gujarat (67%) and Jharkhand (66%) held the opinion that the Muslim community is likely to be naturally inclined to committing crime to either a “great” or “some” extent. Police personnel from Delhi (39%) were most likely to believe that Muslims are naturally prone to committing crimes, followed closely by Rajasthan (35%), Maharashtra (34%) and Gujarat (34%).

The study also found that caste, religion, and political affiliation often play a decisive role in shaping the outlook of the police perception and influencing their actions. This bias not only shapes initial interactions but can also affect decisions on investigation, enforcement, and legal proceedings. The report according to the parameters of the study published in the report, surveyed a broad spectrum of law enforcement personnel, including constables, upper subordinate officers ranging from assistant sub-inspectors to deputy superintendents of police, and senior officials from the Indian Police Service (IPS).

The SPIR-2025 pointed out that Muslims are identified as one of the marginalised communities which are common targets of torture. Academic scholarship cited in the report suggested that torture tactics employed by the police against Muslim men suspected of terrorism deliberately target their religious identity and masculinity to humiliate the entire community.

Police respondents in states with harsh cow slaughter laws, such as Gujarat, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra, showed high support for mob punishment in such cases. Besides, despite a significant proportion of police personnel believing that Muslims are predisposed to crime, a considerable percentage also perceive that Muslims are likely to get justice to a “great extent”.

Meanwhile however, the study also cautions that these are the police’s perceptions, which may be marred by pre-existing biases and could be contrary to the lived realities of Muslims. Independent analysis of prison statistics indicates the over-incarceration of Muslims, suggesting potential biases within the criminal justice system.

Disregard for due process

The report also highlights a significant disregard for the rule of law among a notable section of the police. Nearly one-third (28%) of police personnel believe the criminal justice system is too weak and slow, with a preference for extrajudicial measures over due process. Alarmingly, almost two out of five (38%) feel that for minor offences, police should give minor punishment instead of following legal trials.

One in four police personnel strongly justified mob violence in cases of sexual harassment (27%) and child lifting or kidnapping (25%). This suggests that about a fourth of India’s police personnel support the idea of the mobs acting as the judge, jury and executioner in matters they consider grave.

Across various categories of crime, constabulary and IPS officers are the most likely to justify mob violence, and upper subordinate officers are the least likely to do so. Police personnel from Gujarat showed the highest support, while those from Kerala showed the least support for mob violence.

Ignorance, lack of compliance for legal procedures

There also appeared to be a lack of compliance towards arrest procedures across states, according to the study. Only 41% of police personnel said these procedures were “always followed”, while 21% admitted to “rarely” or “never” complying with them. Karnataka fared the worst, with a staggering 70% of its officials acknowledging they “rarely” or “never” follow prescribed procedures, while Kerala police demonstrated the highest compliance, with 94% of officials adhering to proper arrest protocols.

Gujarat: high bias against marginalised

In Gujarat, police exhibited the highest level of bias in their perception of Dalits and Adivasis, who they believed were “naturally inclined to commit crimes”. Among its personnel, 68% hold this view about Dalits, while 56% believe the same about Adivasis. Among Delhi’s police, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs, a worrying 62% believe that Muslims are more “naturally inclined” towards crime.

About 30% of police personnel said that ‘third-degree methods’ are justified towards the accused in serious criminal cases, while 9% said they are justified in petty offences. IPS officers and those respondents who often conduct interrogations are the most likely to justify the use of third-degree methods. Besides, 11% of the police personnel feel that hitting or slapping family members of the accused is absolutely justified, and 30% said that it is sometimes justified.

Interviewees said that the victims of torture are mainly people from poor and marginalised communities. A lawyer described it as “all the faceless and voiceless” are targeted. The following groups are the common targets of torture: Muslims, Dalits, Adivasis, people who cannot read and write, and slum dwellers.

The report concluded with a strong call for strengthening institutional safeguards and fostering a greater commitment to the rule of law within the police force. It recommended more active engagement and interaction between Judicial Magistrates and arrested persons, along with ensuring medical examinations during custody. The study also underscored the urgent need for more comprehensive and consistent data collection on police torture and custodial violence.

How the police view and even justify custodial torture

Police personnel were also asked how justified is the use of certain coercive and violent acts towards the accused so that criminal cases can be solved. The data reveals a troubling acceptance of coercive tactics, ranging from verbal abuse and threats to slapping and third-degree methods. Nearly

Almost half (49%) said that verbally abusing or threatening suspects in cases of minor offences such as theft is justified, with 32% endorsing slapping and 9% even supporting the use of third-degree methods. Support for such violent methods increased dramatically in cases of serious crimes. Three in ten (30%) police personnel justified third-degree methods in cases such as rape and murder, while half (50%) approved of slapping suspects and more than half (55%) endorsed verbal abuse or threats.

Threats and slapping or using light force are common. About a quarter (26%) of police personnel said that suspects are threatened often, while 34% said that this happens sometimes. Similarly, nearly two in 10 (18%) said that slapping or using light force is common, with 28% saying it happens occasionally.

Regarding third-degree methods, one in 10 police personnel admitted that such extreme violence occurs often, and 16% said it happens sometimes. Additionally, one in three respondents reported that investigating officers frequently use coercive tactics.

The findings reveal that close to half, that is nearly four in 10 police personnel believe that reporting of custodial torture should be mandatory, while a similar proportion supported it being mandatory in some cases. Around one in 10 felt it should never be mandatory. While a majority supported mandatory reporting, the fact that the largest group favoured it only ‘sometimes’ suggests a level of hesitation or conditional acceptance. The data also shows that officers at the police station level favour mandatory reporting more than their senior counterparts.

When asked if junior police personnel would feel comfortable fi ling a complaint against their seniors for the use of violence, provided legal protection, over four in 10 of police respondents strongly agreed, while 36% agreed moderately.

Seventy percent of police personnel who have a high propensity to justify torture also believe that training on the prevention of torture is very important. (Table 6.8)

The entire report may be read here

Sabrangindia and Communalism Combat before that, have been assiduously analysing and campaigning around the issue of both representation of Indian Muslims in the police force and administration and also the attitudes of men in uniform Vis a Vis India’s largest minority.

An introduction to the Justice BN Srikrishna Commission Report into the Bombay 1992-1993 brute anti-minority pogrom published an introduction by journalist, educationist and activist, Teesta Setalvad. She has researched the various judicial commission reports into anti-minority violence. This section. Anti-Minority Bias in the Police Force may be read here. Ex-IPS officer, KS Subramanian’s essay ‘Babri Masjid 1992 – Gujarat 2002 – Kashmir 2016: How the Sangh Parivar has wrecked India’s secular social fabric by sustained anti-minority violence’ may be read here.

In February 1995, in the cover story of Communalism Combat (www.sabrang.com) Vibhuti Narain Rai gave an interview that turned the searchlight within, on the Indian Police Force. Setalvad had met him at the National PoliceAcademy where I had been asked to become part of a training given my work in the post Babri-Masjid demolition Bombay violence. In this explosive interview he had argued, cogently and with statistics about the deep-rooted bias within the Indian police. “No riot can continue for more than 24 hours unless the state wants it to continue,” he had said in an interview, that, after it appeared in the February 1995 issue of Communalism Combat was reproduced by 35 Indian publications in different languages. This seminal interview may be read here.

This poor representation of various sections of India’s marginalised, make it almost impossible for the social issues and crimes most plaguing the country today, to be taken seriously by the police. In fact, one witnesses that in many instances the police collude with the majoritarian community, namely Upper caste class Hindu male to perpetuate even more violence on those who are already persecuted.

Though some progressive judgments such as the one in which the SC upholds Karnataka law on Reservations in Promotions for Govt. employees provide a glimmer of hope, the implementation on the ground remains questionable.

[1] See civil society reports on mob lynching that document police apathy and complicity in cases (Citizens Against Hate, 2018 and Human Rights Watch, 2019).

Related:

Anti–minority bias in the Indian Police
Mayhem in Malegaon: A fact-finding team of human rights activists and lawyers that visited riot-hit Malegaon returns with disturbing evidence of a “complete communal-isation of the police and paramilitary forces”
Local Jharkand Police Used Communal Slogans: NCM on Latehar Hangings
Controversy: DIG claims he never said ‘Muslims follow religion of terrorists’

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In another brute case of mob justice, two men were stripped and paraded and whipped with a belt for allegedly selling beef in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur district. A video, that has gone viral over the past two days, shows the men stripped to their underwear being paraded through a street as a crowd follows them, reports NDTV. A man in the crowd whips one of the accused as others record the episode on their phones and some voices egg him on.

The two accused have been arrested and police said over 33 kg of beef was recovered from them. Das (50) and Ramnivas Mehar (52) were riding a two-wheeler loaded with a white sack. When the complainant and others asked them what is in the sack, they replied that it had beef, the complaint says. Senior police officers were then informed, and the two men were taking into custody, the police said.

The recorded statement said that 33.5 kg of beef was recovered from the accused and that they were taken into custody. The two were produced in court today. The police have said that the recovered meat was examined by a veterinary doctor, but there are no details regarding the report of this examination.

When NDTV reached out to senior police officers in the district, the channel got no response. There is also no information on whether any action has been taken against the men involved in stripping the accused and whipping them on the street.
 

Related:

Muslim man assaulted in Assam for selling beef, NHRC issues show-cause notice to gov’t

Why is Badruddin Ajmal advising Muslims to avoid eating beef?

No beef within 5 kms of temples: Assam’s new cow protection bill

Cow Slaughter Prevention Laws in India

SC slams Lynch Mobs, issues directions to govt to check ‘mobocracy’

Government still evasive about Clause 6 Committee report

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On May 25, 2022, the Allahabad High Court, in the case of Nawab v. State of Uttar Pradesh, pressed upon the fact that incidents of mob violence spread disaffection in the society. The Court was of the opinion that such incidents were incompatible with the rule of law and had no place in any civilized nation, reported BarandBench.

The court said, “Sectarian violence fractures the peace, and fissures the society. All sections of the society have to own up to their responsibilities to promote fraternity among all citizens and ensure peace.”

With respect to the mob violence held in the aftermath of election results in Uttar Pradesh, the High Court’s single-judge bench comprising Justice Ajay Bhanot made some remarks on maintaining Hindu-Muslim harmony. Before making any such remarks, Justice Bhanot said in his order, “Discourse in courts which reflects on social ills and legal challenges is also a reservoir of alternative thought, and may become a catalyst of positive change. Legal dialogues in courts can also help in arresting aberrational tendencies in the society.”

The order stated, “Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb is not a ritual to be observed in conversations, infact it is a soul force to be harnessed in conduct. Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb culture is not mere tolerance of differences, but heartful embracement of diversity. The ethos of the State of Uttar Pradesh brings out the catholicity of Indian philosophy.”

Speaking about Mahatma Gandhi, the court said, “Speakers of different paths would do well to remember the Father of the Nation. The Mahatma by the example of his life and the fact of his death, reminds us that the quest of all religions and the essence of an Indian’s Dharma is love for fellow beings. Someone’s hate consumed his body, but not his love for humanity. A bullet stilled his mortal frame but could not silence the truth in him.”

Interestingly, the learned counsels on both sides submitted that the respective parties seek to take measures to keep the peace and restore the traditional harmony and faith between all sections of the society. They submitted that the respective parties would serve cool Sherbet and water to passers-by and thirsty travellers for one week at a public place in District Hapur at a date and time of their choosing in May-June 2022.

Justice Bhanot concluded the order by quoting poet Pradeep and stated that many generations of Indians have given their blood, sweat, tears and toil to wrest freedom from the shackles of slavery. He claimed that the founding generations had steered the country through stormy seas and therefore, it is the duty of all Indians to helm the nation into calm ports.

A copy of the order may be read here:

Related:

Allahabad HC bats for tolerance, but refuses to strike down meat and liquor sale ban
Allahabad HC quashes FIR against “The Wire” editor, Siddharth Varadarajan and reporter, Ismat Ara
Cruel, diabolic, barbaric, gruesome and inhuman: Allahabad High Court on Lakhimpur Kheri massacre

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Around 11.30 PM on Saturday night, two men riding a motorcycle began harassing a Muslim couple waiting at a bus stop, insisting they chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’. One of the men also allegedly flashed the woman. However, this enraged bystanders who then thrashed the accused and handed them over to police.  

“When one of the men flashed before the woman, the onlookers intervened and called the police. The two men were handed over to Kotwali police. We arrested them after recording the couple’s statement,” Chauthmal Verma, station house officer of Alwar Mahila Thana, told Hindustan Times.

The accused have been identified as Vansh Bhardwaj (23) and Surendra Mohan Bhatia (32). The police also conducted a medical examination of the accused, which revealed Bhatia was in a drunken state during the incident. Alwar police on Sunday arrested them under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 354 A (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt ), 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) and 509. The complaint was filed at a women’s police station and the accused were produced before a judge and remanded to judicial custody.

Related:
Goddess Durga unifies people beyond religion

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SunitaVishwanath speaks in 2018. Video screenshot

(RNS) — This past May, the Indian nation reelectedNarendraModi, the head of the BharatiyaJanata Party, for a second five-year term as prime minister of the world’s largest democracy. BJP, a right-wing Hindu nationalist group that has transformed itself into a national political force, has long marginalized minority communities in India.

As with the rise of President Trump in the United States, some have enthusiastically bought into Modi’sHindutva ideology, while others have been vocally opposed to it, and the debate has reverberations far beyond the borders of India.

Among South Asian Americans, progressive Hindu voices have been relatively quieter than those influenced by right-wing nationalism, and one woman in particular wants to change that. Before Modi began his first term, SunitaVishwanath, an activist based in Brooklyn, New York, had founded Sadhanain 2011 to help cultivate the progressive Hindu community — and in doing so, to counter those who she believes are co-opting Hinduism for political gain.

I spoke with Sunita recently about Modi’s re-election and why the idea of progressive Hinduism feels so urgent in our current climate. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What has been the reaction of progressive Hindu Americans to Modi’s re-election? And how have you found yourself responding?
There seem to be no Indian cultural spaces left in the United States where one can express dissent about Modi and the BJP. The Hindutva ideology reigns supreme in so many family and community settings, especially in Indian temple communities.

In the last couple of months since the Indian elections, despondency is giving way to meetings among activists to re-strategize. In the Indian and Indian American context, I feel strongly that left and secular spaces must be more open and welcoming to faith-based folks, especially Hindus. I also think we all need to develop the skills and gather the tools to have constructive dialogue with those who we disagree with.

Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi at a meeting in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7, 2017. Photo courtesy of the Kremlin

How has your organization fared as Hindu nationalism has asserted itself?
For eight years, Sadhana has faced attacks from conservative Hindus who see us as anti-Hindu, fake Hindu, traitors, etcetera. What’s more, we have been unwelcome in many progressive spaces because we identify as Hindu and are therefore seen as perpetuating caste and casteism. If a progressive group like Sadhana, which explicitly stands against caste, faces such opposition from all sides, imagine the plight of a regular Hindu individual who simply wants to add his or her opposition — as a Hindu — to the violence taking place in the name of Hinduism.

I simply don’t accept that Hindu people don’t care, aren’t stirred within their core by the atrocities (including mob violence against low-caste and non-Hindu Indians). I believe that as Hindus, we have a special role to play when Hindus are perpetrators of hatred and violence. Sadhana will continue to work within Hindu communities to implore and inspire them to connect their faith to justice for all, to oppose every instance of bigotry and violence no matter who is the victim and who is the perpetrator.

How do you reconcile the ideologies of Hindu nationalism with Hindu teachings? And do you see any parallels with how white supremacy is drawn from Christian traditions?
The ideology of Hindu nationalism is diametrically opposed to Hindu teachings. Hindutva is exclusive, whereas Hinduism teaches that we are all one. Hindutva is Islamophobic, whereas a Hindu believes that the divine resides equally and identically in a Hindu and a Muslim. Hindutva is violent, para-militaristic in fact, whereas Hinduism embraces ahimsa (non-violence and non-harm) as one of its core tenets.

Hindutva is hyper-masculine, whereas Hinduism teaches that there is no Shiva without Shakti — no male energy without female energy. Hindutva teaches Hindu young people to be so proud of their religion that they defend it with the sword, whereas Hinduism teaches that all paths lead to the same truth.

Do you see any parallels with how white supremacy is drawn from Christian traditions?
I believe that one finds in any text, literary or scriptural, what one is seeking. In a sense, what we read is a mirror, and the way we interpret texts says a lot about who we are. It doesn’t surprise me that there are people who find hatred and violence in religious texts. So much carnage has taken place through history in the name of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and these days, even Buddhism.

But it is also true that many justice movements through human history were spearheaded and led by those who found unconditional love in those same religions.

We are seeing violent extremist movements in all the major world religions. And I believe that peaceful, justice-seeking people within all the religious communities must come together in love and strength to counter these forces of hate.

How did you come to identify yourself as progressive Hindu?
I was born into a Hindu family and was raised with these liberal understandings of Hinduism:

First, we are all one. God is in all of us. There are not some who are higher and lower in God’s eyes.

Second, I must do my dharma with all my heart, what I was put on earth to do, and not worry about whether I succeed or fail. This is Krishna’s teaching in the Bhagavad Gita.

And third, there is no pure evil or pure good. There is good and evil in all of us. My mother taught me this explicitly every Diwali when she pointed out, “If Rama was purely good, he would not have made Sita walk through fire to prove her chastity. He would not have banished her. And if Ravana was pure evil, he would have violated and brutalized her.”

I was taught that the many wars and slayings in all the Hindu stories we are told are to be taken as metaphor for the work we have to do in our life to slay the demons within ourselves.

Until eight years ago, when I collaborated with a few like-minded progressive Hindus, I kept my spiritual journey private as I pursued my life’s work in social justice and human rights. We all felt there was the absence of Hindus who were willing to openly connect their faith to the urgent social justice struggles of our times. We were acutely aware that our Hindu communities lacked any discussions or participation in social justice work; and similarly, the social justice arenas where we were active did not have practicing Hindus. Hence the creation of Sadhana eight years ago.

What are some of the sources of Hindu tradition that you lean into most for your views? Are there certain texts, figures or stories that are especially meaningful to you?
The Bhagavad Gita is of central importance to me. I see it as a call to action.

Arjuna is despondent and wants to give up. Krishna tries many strategies to reach Arjuna (for instance, philosophical arguments about the soul being eternal, arguments about Arjuna’s social responsibility, and arguments related to bhakti or devotion to God). But his ultimate aim is to get Arjuna to get up and act. Whenever I am despondent and want to give up, it is the Gita I go to.

What are some of the biggest challenges you see for progressive Hindus? And what do you see as the greatest opportunities for this growing movement?
Caste is the greatest challenge for Hindus to overcome, as it is the biggest atrocity of our legacy. Hindus (and non-Hindus who subscribe to the caste system), must reject not just caste discrimination, but the caste system itself. Annihilation of caste is our challenge as Hindus. We must rise to this challenge.

The fact that things seem to be getting worse means that more people will be waking up in angst, looking for solutions. Indeed, the biggest response we had from Hindu Americans was in the wake of the election of Donald Trump. And similarly, the largest response from Hindus in India who want to join Sadhana has been in these two months since the re-election of Modi. We will respond to the growing interest in Sadhana by continuing to build our progressive Hindu platform.

(This article first appeared here and is being reproduced with the permission of the author)

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In yet another case of mob violence in Bareilly of Uttar Pradesh four daily wage labourers were mercilessly thrashed by unidentified assailants allegedly after they were seen eating meat near a makeshift temple. The matter came to light earlier this week when a video of the assault began circulating on social media. A preliminary investigation has led police officials to suggest that the attack could have been due to two of the four labourers hail from minority communities. The victims of this attack had arrived at Baheri at the behest of a mason who had hired them to work as labourers.

However, the men attacked allegedly for eating beef near a place of worship claim that they were consuming a vegetarian meal when a group of unidentified young men arrived at the spot and began assaulting them. In a video of the incident, the assailants can be seen thrashing the labourers.

Station house officer (SHO) of Baheri station, Dhananjay Singh told news agency ANI that the four men had been hired to aid with the construction of a private home. They had gone to a nearby ‘devasthan’ to eat their food. A ‘devasthan’ is a miniature shrine with idols of god, usually near or under shady trees.

A first information report (FIR) in this regard has been registered against Adesh Valmiki and Manish along with four other unidentified men, said Bareilly senior superintendent of police (SSP) Muniraj G, adding that two teams have been formed to locate and arrest the rest of the accused who are currently at large. More details in this regard are awaited.

Courtesy: Counter Current

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According to Indiatimes, Dr. Nurul, in a complaint to the police, said, “I work as a paediatrician with a private hospital and at present preparing for DM-Cardiology exam. I was returning after buying milk for Iftar in my Baleno car. Suddenly, two men came in a white Fortuner and started abusing me without any reason. When I told them that they are on the wrong side of the road, they called 8-9 more men who brutally thrashed me with sticks. I tried calling police but due to injuries I fell unconscious on the road side. Later, the police reached on spot and rushed me to the Civil Hospital.”

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Ranchi: A tribal person has been beaten to death in Jharkhand after a group objected to flesh being sliced from a dead bull, police said on Thursday.
 
Three persons were injured when a clash broke out over the dead bull at Jurmi village in Dumri, around 140km from Ranchi, on Wednesday night.
 
PTI quoted deputy inspector-general of police A.V. Homkar as saying that a group of people spotted the four persons cutting the flesh of the dead bull and started beating them up. One of them died, he said.
 
The dead person has been identified as Prakash Lakra. Sources said the group that raised the objections came from another village.
 
Gumla SP Anjani Kumar Jha said a special team had been formed to probe the murder.
 
“A few villagers from Jairagi were returning from Chhattisgarh… They spotted a few people cutting the flesh of a dead ox. However, they thought they had slaughtered a cow. They started beating them up… The Jairagi villagers took all four persons to the Dumri Police Station where one of the person’s condition deteriorated… (He) was rushed to the hospital where he was declared brought dead,” said Homkar in a report by The Indian Express.
 
A police source said the suspects were mainly “non-tribals”, and a team has been formed to nab them.
 
The DIG said that after talking to the villagers, it came to the fore that the ox had died of “natural causes”. He said an FIR has been registered and added that no arrests have been made till now.
 

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picture courtesy midday

The mob barged into their house and with extreme aggression started beating up each and every one inside. A short glimpse of the attack was captured on camera by few of the family members, mostly women who were stranded on the terrace. It is the same video of the incident that later went viral on social media. Some of the attackers realized that they were being video graphed and first tried to break down the terrace door with spears and rods. They were unable to break it down. Sensing trouble as their deeds were being recorded on video, they eventually left. But the attack was much more serious than what that video was able to capture.

The mob surrounded the whole house and continuously threw rocks and stones to break the glass panes. They kept hurling communal abuses. They had beaten up all the members of the family who were downstairs and first floor, including children. They dragged the terrified children out of cupboards and from below the beds where they were hiding and beat them to pulp. As they opened the cupboards, the goons also stole jewellery and cash that they found. Mohd Sajid, Mohd Irshad, Mohd Shadab, Mrs Shakreen, Abid, Shahrukh, Sameena, Dilshad, Nargis, Afifa and Aamir were most badly beaten. In fact the attackers thought they were dead.

The terrified family of Md. Sajid tried to call the police by dialling 100. But they could not get through. Finally, they took the injured people to AIIMS in a private car, while one person left for the police station to call the police.

A team of United Against Hate (UAH) first visited the injured people admitted in Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital on the 25th March 2019. A couple of days later, when they had been, we went to meet them in their house. The house looked like a hospital in a war zone. There were broken glass panes shattered everywhere and there were also marks of rods and spears on the walls. Windows and doors were broken through which the goons forced their entry. There was an injured person or two in each and every room, in each and every bed of the house.

The ones walking around seemed to be in immense trauma and stress. The fear was palpable on each and every family members house. “The kids cry every day since then. ‘Woh rangwale log phirse aa jayenge abbu. Bhaag chalte hai yaha se”. The attackers who had played holi in the morning and came with sticks and spears in the evening to kill them all, are perpetually etched in the minds of the children. They had broken down every door, except one. They could not break the terrace door, which few women and girls and a young boy held from within, while Danista, another young girl took the video. The marks of forced entry, dent by spears on the terrace door were clear. Still, the goons could not break it. “Allah, stood with us, holding the door. Otherwise it was just few girls on one side and armed goons on a rampage on the other”, Nargis, the young daughter-in-law of Sajid proclaimed.

The role of the police:
The police has NOT included in the FIR name of the people who were part of the mob that beat up Sajid and his family, though they can be very easily identified from the video that is available on the internet.

Few people were taken into custody as per claims of the police, but even after so many days, no identification parade of the accused has taken place.

Everyone in the police station was very tight lipped and were not willing to talk anything about the case. They said that the commissioner Mr Akeel has given directions that only the police PRO Mr Boken should talk to anybody from outside the department.

A counter case and refusal to give FIR:
A counter case has been filed on the family. After seven days, the accused showcased a boy who according to them was hit on the head by the victim family and got several stiches. Curiously this boy was not mentioned by the accused when media widely covered the attack. The counter FIR is clearly an attempt to balance and intimidate the victims to not pursue the matter legally and settle the case. The copy of this counter FIR has not been provided to the family, despite their demands and also the fact that it is their right. Members of UAH tried to get a copy with the help of some media persons, but even the journalists were NOT able to get a copy of that FIR.

The family held a press conference on the 1st April and talked about intimidation that they were facing and even talked about committing mass suicide.

Gujjar Panchayats have been held in the mean time where strategies to intimidate the family to settle the matter and not pursue it legally.
On our second visit we saw Local MLA, Tejpal Tawar also happened to visit the family.

Mr Tawar said: “dono logon ko sath baitha kar milwa denge”. The tone of people who accompanied him was more of striking a compromise rather than talking about getting the culprits punished. This incident in Gurugram in short reveals once again the manner in which hate and bigotry against Muslims is inciting such incidents of horrifying violence; it also shows the absolute impunity that these communal goons enjoy and the abject surrender of law enforcing agencies in front of such dominant hooligans. If Mohammad Sajid’s family is intimidated into silence or is forced to leave their house, if these goons are not punished despite glaring evidences against them then our democracy and Constitution will register yet another massive jolt to its claimed democratic and secular character.

Fact Finding Team Members:
This Report is by the team members of United Against Hate Comprising Saurabh Misra , Banojyotsna Lahiri, Farrah Shakeb ,Syed Farman Ahmed, Nikita Chaturvedi, Tamanna Pankaj and Shahid Chaudhry who visited the family on 27th March 2019.

Courtesy: Two Circle

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 “It is well known that extortionists under the garb of ‘gaurakshaks’ are roaming the streets looking for a prey. If those carrying cows are able to pay the sum demanded, then they are allowed to go or else fired at and killed. This time too this has been the case, as reported by activists from the ground level.” The PUCL has collated this information from activists working at the ground level. “After having studied collectively with others activists, the lynchings in Mewat area of Rajasthan, it has become clear to the PUCL that Akbar Khan who had bought two cows from village Ladpur, Ramgarh tehsil, Alwar district and was taking back the cows in the night to his own village Kol near Firozpur Jhirka, Mewat, Haryana, was killed due to extortion. He was killed in Jungle Lalawandi, Ramgarh. It is well known that extortionists under the garb of Gaurakshaks are roaming the streets looking for a prey. If those carrying cows are able to pay the sum demanded, then they are allowed to go or else fired at and killed. This time too this has been the case, as reported by activists from the ground level.”
 
Facts of the Case
 
Reportedly, Akbar Khan bought two cows from village Ladpur, Ramgarh tehsil, Alwar district and was taking the cows back in the night to his own village Kolgaon near Firozpur Jhirka in Mewat, Haryana. He was accompanied by another man, Aslam. Suddenly, a group of people started thrashing them, as per Subhash Sharma, the officer at Ramgarh police station.  The murder of Akbar is the complete failure of Rajasthan government in protecting Muslims, in particular dairy farmers from the killer “Gaurakshaks”, who are basically extortionists, the statement records. The Ramgarh police brought the deceased Akbar Khan to Alwar and lodged an FIR 0321/18 under Sections 143, 341, 323, 302, 34 etc. of IPC at the police station.
 
Since 2017, incidents of lynching had increased pointing to the deliberate subversion of the law and order machinery. Three incidents took place in that year alone:

• May 30  2015, Abdul Gaffar Querishi, Birloka, Didwana tehsil, Nagaur district
• April 11, 2017 Pehlu Khan, Behror thana, Alwar district
• June, 16, 2017 Zafar Khan, Pratapgarh town, Pratapgarh district
• September 10,  2017 Bhagtaram Meena, neem ka thaana Sikar district.
• November 12, 2017, Umar Mohammed, a resident of Ghatmatika Pahadi, near Pahadi Kaman killed near RamgarahTehsil, Alwar

 Lawlessness on the Rise

It was not  merely lynching, but police encounters too had increased in frequency in cities such as Alwar, especially targeting Mev Muslims in the name of picking cows, it added. The civil rights body has also questioned the government on its inability to bring a halt to the “bloody madness” and alleged that the supposed Gaurakshaks have the full support of the police and administration. It highlighted, how Pehlu Khan’s killers roam around with impunity as his acquaintances, Azmat and Rafiq still face cases related to cow smuggling. Similarly, Zafar Khan’s killers too, are roaming scot free. Moreover, the eye witnesses in Umar’s case were lodged into jail making the cynical pattern of victims being made accused complete. Expressing concern over this prevalent culture of impunity to the killers, said, “There seems to be complete impunity to the killers, with the Home minister Gulab singh Kataria going on record that Gau Rakshaks to good work, after Pehlu khan was killed”.
 
All the killers named by Pehlu Khan were thrown out of the purview of investigation and cases of cow smuggling are still being faced by Pehlu khan’s companions, Azmat and Rafiq. Todate Zafar khans killers are roaming free and the eye witnesses in the Umar case were thrown into jail. In Bhagtaram’s case nothing happened, till the High Court intervened earlier this month in July. There seems to be complete impunity to the killers, with the Home minister Gulab singh Kataria going on record that Gau Rakshaks ‘do good work,’ after Pehlu khan was killed.
 
Among the demands made in the statement were sharp questions on whether or not the government of Rajasthan had any plans of implementing Supreme Court guidelines in which it has clearly made the Centre and the state responsible for lynching, and has said mobocracy will not be allowed. Further, it has said that all states should make nodal officers and there should be immediate arrests and filing of chargesheets as well as fast track courts and maximum punishment.
 
Besides there are specific demands made by PUCL:

• The transfer of the case to an independent agency, SIT or under the IG
• The arrest of Akbar Khan’s killers immediately
• The restoration of his cows to the family
• Compensation of Rs. 25 lakh and land to the family, a government job to the kin.
• Immediate protection to eye witness, Aslam be given protection.
• Ensure that no false case of cow smuggling be filed against Akbar and Aslam.
• Dismissal that the Ramgarh SHO be dismissed from duty as the onus is on the State to protect the people from lynching.  
• Rajasthan Home Minister give a plan for the protection of dairy farmers particularly the Meos in Mewat region.

 
PUCL has I also urged that no cases related to cow smuggling should be filed against Akbar and Aslam. Moreover, that the Ramgarh SHO should be dismissed from his duty. It has asked the Home minister to give a plan for the protection of dairy farmers particularly the Mevs in Mevat region.
 
Finally, the PUCL has demanded from the CM that there should be an immediate halt to the cases of lynching.
 
https://cjp.org.in/lynching-timeline/

Image Courtesy: Indian Express

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