TIA NEWS /RANCHI
In another ghastly and shocking incident similar to the Dadri lynching, two Muslim men herding buffaloes on their way to a Friday market were beaten up and hanged to death from a tree by suspected cattle-protection vigilantes in Balumath forests in Latehar district, 100km from the Jharkhand capital Ranchi on Friday.
The deceased, Muhammad Majloom, 35, and Azad Khan alias Ibrahim, 15, were cattle traders and related to each other. Their bodies were strung up with their hands tried behind their backs and their mouths stuffed with cloth.
“The manner of their hanging showed that the assailants were led by extreme hatred,” Latehar SP Anoop Birthary told media.
“We are gathering leads to verify whether personal or business enmity led to the murder or it was due to some other motive. The buffaloes were freed. It is yet to be known if the buffaloes were taken away by the assailants or they strayed into the forest,” Said SP
The incident sparked protests by people in Jhabbar village that turned violent when police tried to take down the bodies.
Local MLA from the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) Prakash Ram claimed that Hindu radicals were behind the killings. Reports said villagers who protested the deaths claimed the victims were targeted as they were cattle traders.
Left condemn Lynching of Muslim youths in Jharkhand
AMN
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has strongly condemned the murder of two Muslim men in Balumath, Latehar district of Jharkhand yesterday.
It said that the horrible incident is a result of the sustained communal campaign conducted by the Hindutva outfits.
These young men were cattle traders and were on their way to a market with a herd of buffaloes when they were beaten up and hanged to death from a tree by so-called cow protection vigilantes. This incident happening within 100 kms of the state capital of Ranchi is reminiscent of the Dadri lynching not long ago.
It is reported that it is not the first time that Muslim cattle traders in the area have been targeted. Despite protests by the local people, the police and the BJP state government have failed in protecting the minorities engaged in this trade.
The Jharkhand Police must immediately arrest the culprits and bring them to book. The BJP government in Jharkhand is duty bound to crack down against all those indulging in such criminal activities and also ensure protection of the minorities.