Violence against Muslims has continued in 2024, various instances of vigilante violence have taken place across the country in the preceding year. Hate speech by right-wing Hindutva politicians has also spread across the country, with chief ministers of states like Assam and Uttarakhand have been making incendiary claims about minorities. Sabrang India traces recent incidents of assaults by communally charged mobs against Muslims.
Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
According to The Observer Post, in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain a young 22-year-old Muslim man named Mohammad Umair Mansuri was violently beaten by a group which is reportedly associated with the Hindu Jagran Manch. The HJM beat him because he was meeting a Hindu girl in the city. They have charged him with accusations of “Love-Jihad.” Mansuri had reportedly travelled to Ujjain to meet his Hindu female friend when he was accosted by these members of the HJM. After holding him, the group of people handed him over to the police. However, prior to this, the group was caught on camera violently beating the 22-year-old youth. The police, in turn according to reports, have booked Mansuri.
Belagavi, Karnataka
Two cousins belonging to two faith groups were reportedly assaulted by a group of men on the accusation that the two were an interfaith couple. One of the victims was an 18-year-old Dalit Hindu boy who was with his 22-year-old Muslim cousin when the both of them were brutally assaulted by a group of men.
The victims, named as Sachin Lamani and Muskan Patel, were reportedly beaten by iron rods and pipes. According to the accounts by the survivors, the attackers were drunk and confronted the two because they saw them sitting together. In an attempt to diffuse the situation, Sachin clarified that Muskan was not just a friend but his own aunt’s daughter. However, this failed pacify the attackers.
“They asked why a Hindu and a Muslim were sitting together. I told them she wasn’t a Muslim but my own aunt’s daughter. They took both of our phones and also snatched away Rs 7,000,” Sachin stated according to India.com.
The incident took place on a Saturday when Muskan and Sachin had gone to apply for the Yuva Nidhi scheme. The two were forced to wait during lunchtime. They waited by the Killa Lake, following which they were targeted by this group of men. The attackers reportedly tried to strangle Sachin as they robbed the two and took away the cash they had on them, including their phones. Furthermore, more people joined the assault and took the two victims to a room where Sachin was beaten heavily. The victims have filed complaint which has been registered as a police complaint at the Belagavi Police under the SC/ST Atrocities Act and other relevant sections of the law. Nine people allegedly involved in the attack have been apprehended, the police are still searching for the remaining who are free.
Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh
In UP’s Kushinagar, a 15-year-old Muslim boy named Abdul Fahad was subjected to brutal assault by a Hindutva mob. The harrowing incident took place on December 4 when Fahad was returning from school. He was severely beaten and tortured. His clothes were stripped and he was reportedly beaten with belts and weapons, according to Maktoob Media. The attackers went to the extent of filming the assault, sharing the video on social media platforms, where they can be seen forcing the minor to lick their feet. Local sources revealed that the accused individuals, associated with Hindu Yuva Vahini, are habitual offenders and have numerous cases against them. The group had allegedly follower Fahad to school and even threatened him with a gun if he dared to speak out.
The assailants are reportedly affiliated with the right-wing organisation Hindu Yuva Vahini. Some of the attackers reportedly were Nitin Madheshiya, Aditya Singh, Aryan Singh, Arjun, Yuvraj, and Chandan. Fahad’s father, Aftab Bhat, expressed his shock at discovering the incident through social media, according to Maktoob Media, he stated, “Nobody knew about the incident until we saw videos surfacing on social media. He never told us about it.” Aftab said who fainted after witnessing the video, he has also stated that the assailants are still at large.
The family filed a police complaint on December 27 at the Ramkola Police Station. However, they have accused the police of initially neglecting the case, saying that they reportedly faced pressure to change their statements multiple times and that police had urged them to compromise. Aftab further revealed, “After we filed the report, a representative of the group who had assaulted our kid also came to our house asking for a compromise. I asked him if your son was beaten instead of mine would you have reacted in the same manner, he said, I would have shot him down. I said but I would pursue it legally before sending him back.” He further stated that a representative of the group involved in the assault visited their house seeking a compromise.
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