AMN /NEW DELHI
In a highly outrageous video that is viral, a man in Rajasthan is seen hacking another man to death and burns the body while keeping up an inflammatory communal rant against “love jihad”, the term used by right wing groups who accuse Muslim men of drawing Hindu women into relationships and converting them.
It was revealed that Mohammad Afrazul, a migrant labourer from West Bengal was hacked with a cleaver and then set on fire by a man in Rajsamand, Rajasthan.
The alleged assailant has been identified as one Shambhulal Regar, who apparently suspected that Afrazul was in a relationship with a Hindu woman. Videos of the murder, as well as the killer’s speech justifying the act, went viral on social media on Thursday.
Internet has been suspended in Rajsamand – around five hours from state capital Jaipur – to stop the circulation of two video clips posted on WhatsApp by the killer, identified as Shambhu Lal.
Shambhu Lal has been arrested and his 14-year-old nephew, who allegedly filmed the videos, has also been held. The killer’s 11-year-old daughter is seen in one of the videos.
“It is a merciless killing. A normal person wouldn’t do this. It is the rarest of rare cases and we will ask for the death sentence,” said senior police officer OP Galhotra.
According to reports – a man identified as Shambhulal Raigar – has not only committed a gruesome hate crime, but he has displayed the audacity of recording the video of his killing the victim, a migrant worker called Mohammad Afrazul, in order to further the Hindutva lie, the fake narrative of so-called “love jihad”. As is the case with earlier videos of lynching, for example of the dairy farmer Pehlu Khan, Shambhulal’s video of the murder followed by his hate speech, justifying the act, too went “viral” on WhatsApp.
Shambhulal has now been arrested by the Rajasthan Police, according to reports, and booked under IPC Section 302, among other sections, but Rajasthan home minister Gulab Chand Kataria calling the incident “shocking” is simply laughable. For it was none other than Kataria who had said that victims of cow vigilantism are as much in the wrong as the marauding murderers who kill in the name of cow protection. Pehlu Khan’s murderers walk free today, since despite the viral video, evidence against the majority community members committing hate crimes against members of minority communities is never quite enough.
Vasundhara Raje condemns killing
Unlike many other lynching cases in Rajasthan, chief minister Vasundhara Raje, seeing the intensity of the crime, gruesome murder and filming of video of Mohmmed Ifrazul she forced to condemn it on day one.
After the video of Shambhu Lal attacking a man with machete and burning him alive in a wood in Rajsamand went viral, sending shock waves across the country, chief minister Vasundhara was forced to condemn the act. In the press communiqué released by Vasundhara, said, “This is a deplorable act which needs to be condemned in strongest possible terms.” In her statement, Vasundhara tried to assure that the criminal will be prosecuted in shortest possible time.
The Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, which state the deceased belong had also strongly condemned the killing and tweet. “We strongly condemn the heinous killing of a labourer from Bengal in Rajasthan. How can people be so inhuman? Sad,” tweeted Banerjee.
Congress leader Sachin Pilot, termed the incident as failure of law and order in state and rule of goons.
Meanwhile in a statement, several organization collectively stated, “All (human right) organisations of Rajasthan are shocked at what is happening in the State in terms of lynching of Muslims. The latest one being, murder in cold blood of Ifrazul, a 48-year old migrant from West Bengal in Rajsamand, on the 25th anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition.” The statement further demanded, “There is only one demand, 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. 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 activists in Rajasthan have been disturbed by Muslims in particular being lynched in the state and the CM not condemning the act or initiating a stern action against the killers. The latest killing of Mohammed Ifrazul from West Bengal, was the most disturbing one, as the video in particular shows, Sambhu justifying his act and even asking others to do what he has done.