Vasundhara Raje Resign Please! 3 Anti-Muslim Attacks on December 6, 4 Lynchings in 9 Months in Rajasthan
Vasundhara Raje Resign Please! 3 Anti-Muslim Attacks on December 6, 4 Lynchings in 9 Months
JAIPUR: On December 6, shaurya diwas for the supporters of the Babri Masjid demolition, was marked by three serious attacks on Muslims. In Rajasthan under the watch of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia Muslims faced the brunt of communal hate and divisiveness.
In Rajsamand the video of the most gruesome murder by Shambhu Lal sent chills down India’s backbone. He attacked a Bengal origin labourer Mohammad Afrazul, hacked him brutally even as the poor man cried out for mercy, and then went back to burn the still alive body. Lal had his nephew film the massacre that was put on the social media.
In Alwar, the district police shot at Talim Hussain, a resident of Nuh village. The allegation was cow smuggling. Hussain died shortly after in an incident that has not even been recorded by the mainstream media.
In Bayana the police detained two boys carrying buffalo meat to a public programme of the Tabligh Jamaat in Bayana, Bharatpur district. They were detained under the allegation that it was cow and probably have been arrested by now.
Meanwhile several organisations have asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak out and condemn these incidents. And for Chief Minister Scindia to resign as she has clearly demonstrated her complicity and her inability to protect the citizens of the state.
The statement reads:
All organisations of Rajasthan are shocked at the recent developments of what is happening in the State in terms of lynching of Muslims, the latest one being carried out on the 25thanniversary of Babri Masjid demolition, a murder in cold blood of Mohammed Afrazul a 48 year old migrant from West Bengal in Rajsamand, Rajasthan. There is only one demand that Vasundhara Raje, should resign now. She does not deserve to hold on to the post even for a day in the context of the absolute impunity provided to these killers and their supporters. The Home Minister of Rajasthan Gulab Chand Kataria, has proved his incompetency in controlling these crimes which has left the Muslim Community even more insecure. The Prime Minister and the Chief Minister need to unambiguously condemn this crime.
The latest killing of Mohammed Afrazul from West Bengal is very disturbing. The attack leading to the murder was shot by a mobile along with the confessions of the murderer Shambhu Lal Regar, appealing to the people of Mewar “…..that the people with Islamic Vichardhara are all over in black clothes outside Masjids, in public places and around, they are a threat to our cultural heritage and destroying it. Just like Maharana Pratap had decided to fight Islamic Jehad, So do we, have to eliminate the present Islamic Jehad. So I have done it, it may be good or bad, but I have done it. Because I felt that I have to do it. I am a law abiding citizen, but you die only once, so why not eliminate them and then die. Why should we be killed them. That is why I did it. 25 years ago the Babri Masjid was demolished but even that has not changed anything, So I am going to surrender tomorrow in the Rajsamand Mahadev temple. All the Bhai and Behen, the people of Mewar support me, I am surrendering in front of you. Jai Mewar, Jai Bharat, Jai Hind”. In the video where he is seen to kill the man, he is also talking of ending love jehad
Both the videos of the killing and the confession along with photos of the charred body have gone viral on social media. Although the police have arrested the murderer Shambhu Lal Regar and the nephew who had shot the video, but it is important to reach the people who motivated him to carry out this murder.
This is not the first such killing that is happening. It’s the fourth in the last nine months, showing absolute impunity to the killers of Muslims. We would also like to state that there have been many incidents where Muslims have been attacked as part of hate crimes and not been killed so the number of incidents are huge. The killings in the last nine months are as follows:
The first one being that of Pehlu Khan, a dairy farmer and cattle rearer who died on the 3rd of April, after being attacked by a crowd of so called Gau Rakshaks in Behror, Alwar on the 1st of April. The killers named by him were not even arrested, instead 7 others have been arrested and are all out on bail.
The second killing happened on 16thJune in the name of Swach Bharat Abhiyan of comrade Zafar Khan, the Municipality chairperson and other Safai Karmachari beat him to death in Pratapgarh town, when he was opposing their naming and shaming policy as part of making Pratapgarh open defecation free. The police has not arrested anybody, claiming that he died of a heart attack, completely protecting the municipality people.
The third killing happened on the 10thof November, 2017, in the early hours, when Umair Khan and his colleagues were transporting cows and were shot by so called Gau Rakshaks in Govindgarh Tehsil, Alwar district. The killers carried the body to a railway track 15 kms away and tried to destroy all evidence of the face and the body. Out of the seven killers only two were arrested and instead, the victims of the firing, Tahir and Javed are now behind bars.
What happened yesterday in Rajsamand on the 6th of December is the 4th killing.
Our demands are
· Clear and unambiguous condemnation of this and other hate attacks by the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister.
· CM Vasundhara Raje resign now.
· Immediate arrest of all the killers and attackers in hate crimes in Rajasthan.
· Provide absolute security to all the Muslims in the State.
· Stop this culture of hate and violence against Muslims as it will seep into every dimension of our lives and it will be difficult to stop it.
· The BJP party which is in power with 160 MLA out of 200 needs to stop giving protection to these killers.
· The RSS hate programme needs to be banned.
(Peoples’ Union for Civil Liberties, Rajasthan, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangatha, Rajasthan Nagrik Manch, Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch, National Federation of Indian Women, All India Democratic Women’s Association, Jan Vichar Manch, Dr. Ambedkar Vichar Manch, Welfare Party, Jamait Islami Hind, Zari Handloom Work Union, SIO, Rajasthan Samagra Sewa Sangh, Akhil Bhartiya Kisan Sabha, SFI, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, Suchna evam Rozgar Adhikar Manch, Dalit Adhikar Kendra, National Muslim Women Welfare Society, Vividha, Mahila, Punarvas Samooh, NAPM, SDPI, Samta Gyan Vigyan Samiti, RUWA, Pink City Zari Handloom Work Mazdoor Union, Aaritari Zardoz Ekta Sangathan, HRLN, Zamayte Ulema Hind, JDU, Samajwadi Party,, Rajasthan Kacchi Basti Federation, Jaipur Kacchi Basti Maha Sangh, Jaipur district unit of CPIM, CPI, CPI ML, Liberation, MCPI, Banjara Yuva Shakti Sangathan, AIDMAM, Rajasthan Mahila Kamgaar Union.)