Akhtarul Iman, President of All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in Bihar, has demanded a high-level investigation into the incident and a compensation of Rs 50 lakh for family members of each deceased.
Waquar Hasan | Clarion India
NEW DELHI — Three Muslim men were beaten to death and two others were critically injured after a villager died of gunshot wounds following a clash between local shopkeeper and the victims of mob attack in Bihar’s Aurangabad on Monday.
According to the police, the deceased Mohd Mujahid, Charan Mansuri and Mohd Ansari were from Jharkhand. They were in a car along with two others, Vakil Ansari and Ajeet Sharma. The two sustained injuries in the clashes. Ansari was moved to Sadar Hospital in Aurangabad where his condition was described as stable. Sharma is critical and has been referred to a hospital in Gaya.
The occupants had parked their car in front of a shop drawing objection from the shopkeeper in the Nabinagar locality. This snowballed into a full blown clash resulting in one of the occupants of the car opening fire. The villagers started assaulting all occupants of the car after one local died of bullet injuries.
Videos of the incident, which went viral on social media, show that mobs armed with stick brutally assaulting the occupants of the car. A lifeless body was also dragged on the road.
Talking to Clarion India over the phone, Akhtarul Iman, President of All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in Bihar, blamed the Nitish Kumar government for failing to maintain law and order. “They are playing games with the blood of the innocent,” he said.
“What is the reason that Muslims and weaker sections are lynched while the government remain mute spectators. Many such incidents have happened one after another but the culprits are not punished. It emboldens the criminal elements,” said Iman, who is an MLA from Purnia district.
Iman demanded a high-level investigation into the incident and a compensation of Rs 50 lakh for family members of each deceased.
According to Iman, such incidents have been occurring very often in Bihar. In most of the incidents, people from the minority community are targeted. “In such situation, the claim made by the chief minister about the control over corruption, communalism and crime are baseless and incorrect,” he said.
Meanwhile, Aurangabad DSP Mohd Amanullah Khan said that there is no communal angle to the incident that happened in the district on Monday.
“Although the incident involves members of two different communities, there was no communal angle to the clash. Nonetheless, adequate deployment of forces has been made to prevent any eventuality”.
According to the DSP, the car had come from the Palamau district of Jharkhand and its occupants were residents of the Hydernagar area.
“Upon reaching Nabinagar, the driver stopped by, parking the vehicle in front of a shop in Taitariya Mod. The shopkeeper objected, leading to a heated exchange. One of the occupants of the car whipped out a gun and fired a shot which hit a bystander,” said the DSP.
“The irate mob pounced upon the occupants of the car, hitting them with whatever they could lay their hands on. By the time a police party reached the spot and dispersed the mob, Mohd Mujahid, Charan Mansuri and Mohd Ansari had been beaten to death,” said Khan.
The police have launched an investigation to ascertain who pulled the trigger on Chauhan and identify those who attacked the occupants of the car.
