Rinku Sharma murder | SabrangIndia News Related to Human Rights Wed, 17 Feb 2021 04:06:20 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 https://sabrangindia.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Favicon_0.png Rinku Sharma murder | SabrangIndia 32 32 Rinku Sharma’s murder is ‘jihad’: Kapil Mishra https://sabrangindia.in/rinku-sharmas-murder-jihad-kapil-mishra/ Wed, 17 Feb 2021 04:06:20 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2021/02/17/rinku-sharmas-murder-jihad-kapil-mishra/ Delhi Police’s crime branch is investigating the case, however Mishra has also called it a “terrorist attack”, asking that the accused be treated like terrorists and hanged

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“This is jihad. The one who worked enthusiastically for [hindu] dharma has been selectively killed. This is a terrorist attack, they [the accused] should be treated like terrorists,” words uttered by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician Kapil Mishra, right after he met the grieving family of Rinku Sharma in Mangolpuri. 

 

 

Rinku Sharma, an activist of BJP’s Yuva Morcha and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), was stabbed last week, by his neighbours reportedly after an altercation at a party in Delhi’s Mangolpuri area. The five accused who have been arrested are identified as Muslim, and even though the Delhi Police have officially said that the 25-year-old man was stabbed to death allegedly after a heated argument and scuffle at a birthday party, the Sharma family has alleged that there is communal angle in this murder. They have been backed by leaders of right wing information and some politicians. Each of those are repeating that the victim was stabbed to death because he was collecting donations for the Ram Temple at Ayodhya. Delhi Police have, so far, not agreed to this theory, and investigations are now being done by the Crime Branch.  However the reportage and ‘information’ being shared in some sections of the media, and on various social media platforms only highlights the attempts being made to make this murder appear like a communal hate crime. 

Kapil Mishra, has been one of the most well known mainstream politicians who is often the first to comment with a communal tone and intent. However, in this case he is being hailed as the one who had started a crowdfunding drive to collect money for Rinku Sharma’s family. On Tuesday, he claimed to have “begun the process of transferring Rs 1 crore,” that he says was crowdfunded by over 9,000 contributors. He said he has passed on the condolences of all those who contribute to Rinku Sharma’s family.

However, it was not just about handing over crowdsourced funds to help a grieving family, Kapil Mishra has openly said that Rinku Sharma’s murder is a “terror act”. And he has claimed that it is not just the accused who are guilty but that they are backed by “masterminds”. He floated the “jihad” theory and said it is now to be investigated who “are the mastermind who poisong the [accused’s] thoughts? They [accused ] attacked him at home, and if that was not enough they went to the hospital and attacked him again” said Mishra even though it is not yet known if the victim was attacked again in hospital. According to reports Sharma succumbed to his injuries and died during treatment. 

Kapil Mishra is now fanning the communal crime theory that has been gaining speed online. “He was killed because he was working most enthusiastically for hindu faith,” he said, asking how in the national capital Delhi, could someone “be attacked like this”, implying that the victim was killed because of his religion.

According to Mishra, “the killers should be hanged to death…” He feels the accused are a part of a larger conspiracy as it were, and has demanded that it must be found “who were behind the killers who created the poisonous intent that they must attack those who come asking for donations for the Ram mandir”. Again, the Delhi Police have not said this is the moditve behind the murder.

Rinku Sharma’s murder is a heinous crime, however some right wing outfits are making it our to be an attack on those who chant Jai Shri Ram, or work to collect donations for the Ram Temple’s construction. According to a report in Navbharat Times, Rinku Sharma’s brother Manu Sharma had claimed that in August last year, a march was carried out in Ayodhya over the construction of the Ram temple and Rinku participated. He alleged that the accused began threatening the Sharma family. And this eventually led to Rinku’s murder. This is the theory now being encouraged in the Mangolpuri neighbourhood where both the victim and accused have lived for a long time. Over the weekend, groups of angry people, some claiming affiliations to right wing organisations allegedly attacked the home of the accused. The accused have been arrested, however, their families may still be in the area, and be vulnerable to attacks.

According to news reports the local police have been patrolling the area, however on Saturday the doors and windows of the accused’s house were smashed by a group that was shouting right wing slogans. The Crime Branch has begun its investigations, and it was reported that the forensic team had also gathered evidence from the crime scene. 

 

Related:

Sections of media add communal fuel to Rinku Sharma murder

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]]> Sections of media add communal fuel to Rinku Sharma murder https://sabrangindia.in/sections-media-add-communal-fuel-rinku-sharma-murder/ Mon, 15 Feb 2021 04:17:28 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2021/02/15/sections-media-add-communal-fuel-rinku-sharma-murder/ Some have started spreading ‘information’ that Sharma was killed because he was a Hindu, a BJP and VHP  volunteer

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Rinku Sharma, an activist of BJP’s Yuva Morcha and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), was stabbed last week,  by his neighbours reportedly after an altercation at a party in Delhi’s Mangolpuri area. His family has alleged that there is communal angle in this murder. The five accused who have been arrested are identified as Muslim, and even though the Delhi Police has officially said that the 25-year-old man was stabbed to death allegedly after a heated argument and scuffle at a birthday party, information being shared in some sections of the media, and on various social media platforms shows that there are constant attempts being made to make this murder appear like a communal hate crime. Additional Public Relations Officer (Delhi Police) Anil Mittal on Saturday said the case has been transferred to the crime branch. 

Mainstream news outlets reported that Rinku Sharma, succumbed to injuries during treatment on Wednesday. Some social media handles were quick to share graphic images of his blood soaked body, some others started spreading ‘information’ that Sharma was killed because he was a Hindu, a BJP and VHP  volunteer. Local right wing politicians have already begun to fan the communal flames.

 

 

A case of murder has been registered by Police and five people have been arrested, they were identified as Nasruddin, Islam, Zahid, Mehtab and Tasuddin. The accused, being Muslim, has added fuel to communal poltics and also resulted in tension in Mongolpuri, home to both the victim, and the accused. The Aam Aadmi Party sought answers from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who the Delhi Police reports too. However, ironically, the AAP has also been asking if the young man was killed for chanting ‘jai shri Ram?

 

 

Delhi’s deputy chief minister, Manish Sisodiya, who was campaigning in Gujarat said: “It is unfortunate that someone got killed for chanting jai shri Ram in Delhi,” and that “Bharatiya Janata Party is doing nothing about it. Who is responsible for that? They [BJP] are just busy fighting elections. Amit Shah leads Delhi Police  If law and order was with us (Aam Aadmi Party led Delhi government) then we would show how law and order is done…” He intends to make a political point but his answer to a question posed by Gujarat Tak’s reporter, sounds more like a communal accusation, that the young man was killed for his religious chants and affiliations. The reporter is clearly heard asking the pointed question.

 

 

Other AAP politicians have also appeared on news channels stating that if “jai shree Ram” chants cannot be uttered in India, where else could they be. In effect, hinting that there was a communal element in the crime because the victim was a Hindu, and the men accused of his muder are Muslims. 

 

 

However, as India today reported, Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police (JCP) OP Mishra appealed to people to avoid rumours-mongering, “I appeal to all of you to not give rise to rumours on this issue. This issue is very sensitive,” he said. However Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday slammed the Centre over the murder, saying that Home Minister Amit Shah was responsible. “Hindus are not safe under Bharatiya Janata Party’s government.” said AAP spokesman Saurabh Bhardwaj who also demanded Home Minister Amit Shah’s resignation.

Meanwhile, the Police have maintained that on February 10, Wednesday night, both the victim and the accused men were at a birthday party, and an argument broke out between them over their food joints in Rohini. Later, the four men allegedly went to Sharma’s house and stabbed him. The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), claimed Sharma was killed for collecting funds during its Ram Mandir donation drive. According to news reports the police have said that: “So far, during the investigation, it has surfaced that the quarrel started during a birthday party over shutting down of a restaurant. All persons are known to each other and live in the same locality. Any other motive alluded to this incident is factually wrong.”

 

 

 

However, multiple news portals and channels have given space to those who have claimed this is a communal killing. Most active on such ‘news’ shows has been BJP’s Kapil Mishra, who is now collecting funds for theSharma family, while accusing Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of inaction. The act, which is being lauded, however has also been reported as a reaction, necessitated because the Hindu victim’s family was not being helped by the Delhi government, as reported by News18 Hindi.

 

 

According to a India Today report, Rinku’s brother Manu Sharma denied any argument, and repeated that there was an older argument regarding the Ram temple fund donation drive:”My brother had gone to a birthday party. He was chased back on his return, dragged outside the house and stabbed. We don’t have any food shop. They even fought with us after we went for a donation drive for Ram Mandir on August 5.” And the ‘Ram Bhakht Killed’ statement was duly flashed by Aaj Tak.

 

 

India Today also reported that the VHP joint general secretary Surendra Jain, claimed Rinku was killed as he was collecting donations for Ram Mandir. The worst discussions have however been brewing on social media all week. With people opining that Rinku Sharma was killed because he was a VHP-BJP worker and was “chanting Ram’s name”.

 

 

The most active have been right wing blogs Opindia and Kreately. Opindia has publsihed over 20 ‘reports’ on the Rinku Sharma murder case. Many of which also hint at a communal angle, which has so far been denied by the Delhi Police. The blog also has gone hammer and tongs after social media user Tanzila Anis who allegedly made derogatory remarks about the victim. Anis was sacked by her employer Gaana (musical app/ streaming service portal owned by the Times Group) after she was accused of making the offensive remarks. Anis later  issued an apology on Sunday. 

Her name was trending for days, and social media users kept tagging her employers, and the ‘news’ was then amplified by Opindia and others. Opindia also reported that the VHP had put the accused on its ‘blacklist’ and will be “brought to justice” if the police “fail to do so.” The blog also posted a video fanning anti-Muslim sentiments alleging it was a “mob” that attacked and killed SHarma “these people cannot be tursted, they need to be fixed… you are rearing snakes,” were some comments.

 

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