WEB DESK / NEW DELHI
Enraged over ongoing mob lynching in different parts of the country, particularly in BJP ruled Jharkhand, hundreds of people from different walks of life gathered in national capital and other parts of the country last evening to register their protest against such brutal killings.
Over a dozen people have been killed in incidents of lynching in the last five years in Jharkhand alone.
Raising slogans against the trend of lynching in the name of cow, beef or theft, the protesters demanded the government to put a check on the menace the earliest.
Several political leaders, youth leaders and young social activists including Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and Nadeem Khan addressed the protest demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
“It is good to know that there are still people in this country who do not see religion in a rape or mob lynching and speak against it as humans. Modiji, how will you win the ‘vishwas’ of the wife of a victim of mob lynching? How will you take along the sisters who got raped and the ones who lost their brothers?” asked Kanhaiya.
Prof. Apoorvanand Jha of Delhi University said: “It is not the question of mob lynching. Actually hatred against Muslims is being promoted in a planned way. Those sitting in power today are instigating this…” He said all people; particularly Hindus should come out against it.
Muslim League’s Lok Sabha MP from Ponnani in Kerala, ET Basheer said: “Just like so many people have gathered here to protest against mob lynching. In many other cities people have gathered in similar way. What does this mean? It means that the government will have to listen to us and take action to stop violence or this protest will grow.” He was present at the protest demonstration.
Lok Sabha MP of Bahujan Samaj Party from Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, Kunwar Danish Ali said that the government does not seem to be committed to address the issue of mob lynching and that is evident from the fact that the Modi government has done nothing significant to stop the killings.
Immediate outrage was over the brutal lynching of Tabrez Ansari, a young Muslim man over suspicion of theft in Jharkhand state earlier this week.
Tabrez Ansari, who died on Saturday (June 22), was brutally assaulted by a mob for whole night on Tuesday (June 18) on suspicion of theft. The police reached the spot next morning, said his young widow Shaista Parween in her written complaint to the Police. The police took him to the local police station and after first aid he was presented in the court and sent to jail on a theft complaint. As his condition deteriorated on June 22, he was taken to hospital where he died the same day.
The police had not lodged a case of mob lynching on June 18 but after his death and media uproar, a case was filed against the goons on June 22 and 11 of them were arrested by June 25. Two cops were also suspended.
“It is clear that the slogan of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ is a new weapon to attack Muslims with. And it is being instigated by people in government and rulers of the country. People of the country particularly Hindus should understand it and they need to openly speak against it, otherwise India has fallen in vortex of violence that I am not able to see a way to escape through.”
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has rarely spoken on any of dozens of lynching incidents in the last five years of his regime, spoke on the Jharkhand lynching case while speaking in the Rajya Sabha, saying the incident was painful for all. But he targeted the Opposition for “insulting” entire Jharkhand state for the lynching.
“The lynching in Jharkhand has pained me. It has saddened others too. But, some people in the Rajya Sabha are calling Jharkhand a hub of lynching. Is this fair? Why are they insulting a state? None of us have the right to insult the state of Jharkhand,” said the PM.
PM Modi spoke day after Rahul Gandhi strongly condemned the incident and questioned the silence of top BJP leaders over the issue.
Tuesday evening, Congress president Rahul Gandhi attacked BJP and its leadership over the incidents of mob lynching – the latest one took place in BJP-ruled Jharkhand where Tabrez Ansari, 22, was lynched over theft suspicion.
“The brutal lynching of this young man by a mob in Jharkhand is a blot on humanity. The cruelty of the police who held this dying boy in custody for 4 days is shocking as is the silence of powerful voices in the BJP-ruled Central & State Govts,” tweeted Rahul with #IndiaAgainstLynchTerror hashtag.