Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — A 23-year-old youth named Lokesh Soni died by suicide after members of the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad raided his house in Chhattisgarh’s Durg district over allegations of consumption of cow meat.
The incident happened in the area of the Supola police station in Bhilai city on Sunday when some Bajrang Dal members claimed that cow meat was found in three homes.
Soni’s family members claim that the coercive tactics of Bajrang Dal leaders forced him to take the extreme step. Soni’s aunt said the victim shut himself inside the house as members of the Hindutva group descended on the scene.
“People from the Bajrang Dal had come to my area. My boy sometimes brings meat for consumption. Somebody has complained about it. Then, they raided our house. He is a boy and brings it from somewhere,” she said.
“There were a lot of people and police force. When the crowd came, my boy got killed. They have killed him. I don’t want to say anything further,” she added.
According to her, when the crowd had come to her house, Soni was inside the house and he locked himself in. They got to know about his suicide only when they forced open the door after a while.
She said her husband, Raja Soni, works as a peon at the police station. People identify all the family members with him.
Meanwhile, Bajrang Dal leaders said they were informed that cow meat was being sold near a temple in Krishna Nagar. When they got to know of it, they complained to the local police.
Meanwhile, the police said that they were investigating the matter.
The incident has sparked criticism of the Hindutva groups and the police administration. Kunal Shukla, an activist based in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur, said that Hindutva groups have been indulging in hooliganism in the name of cow protection and they have the protection of the police.
“Beef has not been confirmed but due to the fear of Bajrang Dal, a young man hanged himself in Supola, Bhilai, Chhattisgarh. The young man was not Abdul, his name was Lokesh Soni, who was just 21 years old. There is no report whether any case has been registered against those due to whose fear the young man committed suicide,” said Shukla.
Raising questions over the role of the government in this regard, he asked: “The question is whether hooliganism in the name of cow protection is protected by the government. Can a human being’s life be taken in the name of cow protection?”