Massive Protest Held in Delhi, Other Cities over Jharkhand Mob Lynching

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India Tomorrow
New Delhi, June 26— Hundreds of people, old and young, men and women, from different walks of life gathered in India’s national capital Wednesday evening to protest against the brutal lynching of a young Muslim man over suspicion of theft in Jharkhand state earlier this week.

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.

Tabrez Ansari @Sonu, 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.

Several eminent people took part in the protest and candle march at Jantar Mantar near the Parliament House in Delhi on Wednesday.

Speaking to India Tomorrow, 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… The way ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan was raised in Parliament when Muslim MPs were taking oath, that scene was not less than a mob lynching. It was fortunate that the place was parliament, otherwise how would you stop those people sloganeering from attacking a Muslim MP with ‘Jai Shri Ram.’”

He said all people, particularly Hindus should come out against it.

“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.

However, facts show that over a dozen people have been killed in incidents of lynching in the last five years in Jharkhand alone.

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.

Young youtuber and social activist Wali Rahmani, who also took part in the Delhi protest said: “Civil society is a balancing factor of the society. If there is something wrong going on in the society, the civil society should come out and speak against it. They should speak against mob lynching and ask people not to turn Hindustan into Lynchistan.”

He also targeted the Opposition for not speaking strongly on hate crimes against Muslims.

“In the last six years, more than 800 incidents of hate crime have occurred in the country. On how many times has the Opposition spoken on them? Rahul Gandhi tweeted on Jharkhand lynching on Tuesday, several days after the incident. In that tweet too, he did not mention that a Muslim was killed. He said lynching should stop in the country. But he should know who is being lynched? Is every person is being lynched? People of a particular identity and ideology are being lynched – Muslims and Dalits. If you (Rahul) are so afraid of using the word Muslim, this shows where the country is going. We have to ask us a question today – where is the country heading towards,” asked Rahmani.

Like Delhi, protests against lynching and seeking justice for Jharkhand man Tabrez Ansari were held in dozens of other cities, including Ranchi, state capital of Jharkhand, Patna and Hapur.



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.

Several youth leaders and young social activists including Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and Nadeem Khan also addressed the protest demonstration.

Kanhaiya said: “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?”

Welfare Party of India president Dr. SQR Ilyas, Rashtriya Ulama Council chief Maulana Amir Rashadi, AAP leader Dileep Pandey, and social activists Kavita Krishnan and Prof. Apoorvanand also addressed the protestors.

Meanwhile, a big protest was held in Ranchi also.

The Congress, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Left parties staged a sit-in at the Governor House demanding a CBI probe into the incident.

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