The victims' accounts and the video evidence underscore the need for a thorough investigation and accountability
NEW DELHI – On the eve of Eid-Al-Adha, celebrated across the country on June 7, three Muslim labourers enjoying lunch near their workplace in the Namkum area of Ranchi in Jharkhand, were brutally assaulted by a mob of over 30 individuals allegedly linked to Hindutva groups. Reports reaching here on Thursday said the attack was primarily motivated by the victims’ religious identity.
A video that has gone viral on the social media platform X, the Muslim labourers narrated their ordeal to local media. According to them, they were enjoying lunch near their workplace when a group of men approached them, questioned their identity, and allegedly targeted them for being Muslim. The mob demanded that they vacate the area and chant “Jai Shri Ram,” which they refused, triggering a violent attack. The victims were subjected to religious slurs, Islamophobic comments, and false accusations of being cow thieves.
“We were just back from a local mosque after offering prayers and were having lunch near our workplace. Suddenly, these men appeared and asked us, ‘Who are you? What are your names? What are you doing here?’ When we told them our names, they had a good look at our kurta pyjama,” said one of the victims.
One of the victims managed to flee the scene and alerted others at his worksite. When help arrived, they found two of the men tied to a tree and being beaten mercilessly with sticks. “Had our colleagues not come, we might have been killed,” a victim could be heard as saying in the video.
The victims have accused the local police of mishandling the case, initially ignoring their complaints and altering key details in their report. The police allegedly removed the part about being forced to chant the Hindu slogan and accused the victims of spreading misinformation.
The incident has sparked outrage and raised questions about the safety and security of Muslim communities in the region. It highlights the growing concerns about systematic attacks on Muslims in the country, especially in states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The victims’ accounts and the video evidence underscore the need for a thorough investigation and accountability.
