Hyderabad-based human-rights organization CLMC statement on murder of Mohammad Akhlaq in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh.
Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee expresses its anguish over the wild Hindutva mob attack incident on Mohammed Akhlaq’s house and his cold blooded murder in subsequent lynching. His son Danish is still struggling for his life in the local hospital, while their whole family became target of the violence and grief stroke by the loss of their loved one. As absurd as it sounds a person lost his life and his whole house and family shattered only because of the rumors that he ate and had preserved beef in refrigerator.
This committee feels that the there are no enough words to condemn such a shameful and barbaric incident. The cruel mindset of Hindutva was once again reflected in Bisara village of Dadri in western Uttar Pradesh just 50 Kms away from New Delhi. This Nation proud itself by proclaiming itself largest secular democracy of the world but heinous communal crimes just outside the national capital goes on to reflect the poison brewing in ‘secular and democratic’ India which is becoming a threat to its very essence. The lynching of Mohammed Akhlaq and the attack on his mother and son is not the lone incident during these years, it is happening all over the country with a regular stream and every time the intensity of the vindictiveness is increasing to a new height.
This committee strongly believes that the mob attack on deceased Mohammed Akhlaq’s was a pre-planned act with political motivation close to Assembly elections in Bihar. Hindutva ideologues that are running the ruling party BJP lost the mandate on development and now wants to get back of old habits of instigation on communal lines against the Muslim community to polarize Hindu vote banks in the name of COW. The silence of Prime Minister Narendera Modi on this attack is bizarre and the statements of his Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament of his political party are just playing to flame up the hatred.
The irony is the self proclaimed ‘nationalist’ Hindutva vigilantes who carried out this shameful act of violence has targeted a serving Indian Air Force Corporal’s family as its happened in the year 2008 in Andhra pradesh where 6 family members of security person of ITBP were massacred .
This incident should not be seen in isolation, attacks on Muslims near National Capital Territory of Delhi, from Gopalgarh riots in Rajasthan, Muzaffarngar and Shamli riots in Uttar Pradesh, to Atali riots in Haryana, and now Dadri lynching near Greater Noida has shown one same disturbing pattern. These communal attacks resulted in creating fear psychosis among minority Muslims population near Capital Territory often leading to exodus of Muslims from the NCTD region.
Indian Security Agencies who are seem to be hyperactive on keeping tab on Minorities and Civil Rights groups whose opinions are found inconvenient with the state, give a lose grip to the venomous Hindutva organizations which gives an impression that the government is in concurrence with the actions of this extremist groups.
This communal rhetoric building around beef is not some sudden phenomenon, it has its roots in 2014 parliamentary elections when than BJP PM Candidate Narendra Modi cunningly invoked terms like ‘pink revolution’ ‘Gau Hatya’, to instigate communal passions to polarize votes. The Dadri incident is just another dot in already drawn line which is planning to get stretched further.
The role of the Uttar Pradesh Samajwadi Party Government under Akhilesh Yadav should also be put under scanner. Since SP took power in the state communal attack on Muslims is on rise and fringe Hindutva elements are acquiring mainstream positions. Mr. Yadav continuously showed his insensitivity towards Muslims victims after every communal incident, by throwing a seven digit figure amount he believes to buy out the dissent of the whole community. Already Akhilesh Yadav government by sending recovered meet from Akhlaq’s refrigerator to forensic laboratory for testing to establish whether it’s a beef or not just went on to showed his party’s soft Hindutva line which is giving wait to fringe elements claims. Sending the meat to forensic laboratory became more important than to arrest the culprits and take action against those who brutally murdered Mohammed Akhlaq and beat his son mercilessly. Moreover, calling victims at his house, instead of visiting the incident spot further goes on to show the coldness of his regime on such serious burning issues.
The opposition Congress is also morally responsible for such heinous crimes, had it passed Communal Violence bill when it was in power the hands of fringe elements would have been tied and such incidents could have been avoided.
Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee demand to president of India:
1. To intervene into the situation and take necessary measures to ensure that Government of India respect and adhere to the Constitution it has sworn upon.
2. CLMC demand Union Government and all political parties to urgently pass Communal Violence Prevention and Rehabilitation of Victims bill in parliament and to save this country from any adverse effects by keeping its minorities and vulnerable communities protected.
3. CLMC demand both Central and State Governments to monitor the activities of the right wing Hindutva groups which are transforming itself from a social menace to a threat to entire social fabric of this nation.
Lateef Mohd Khan
G. Secretary. CLMC