Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) on Tuesday strongly condemned the brutal killing of two Muslim men in India’s Haryana state by the members of Bajrang Dal, a Hindu militant group and the youth wing of paramilitary Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS). The incident is a stark reminder of the extreme persecution that religious minorities, especially Muslims face in India.
On February 14th, Junaid and Nasir, who hail from Ghatmeeka village in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, were on their way to Haryana when a group of Hindu militants stopped their car over cow smuggling allegations. They were then abducted, brutally thrashed, and their bodies set on fire.
The families have accused Monu Manesar, a Hindu militant leader of Bajrang Dal’s cow vigilante unit, of murdering their sons. Last month, he was also the main accused in the lynching of another Muslim man named Waris Khan.
Manesar leads a team of 50 militants who use deadly firearms to terrorise Muslim community members over suspicion of consuming, transporting, or selling beef for the last five years. According to media reports, he enjoys extensive support from the local police. His role in this horrific act also clearly indicates the growing nexus between Hindu militant groups and local police in persecuting religious minorities.
“This is purely a case of domestic terrorism. Under the garb of cow protection, the Hindu far-right groups are setting up militant units and arming them with deadly and illegal firearms to commit these ghastly acts of violence and terrorism against Muslim minorities,” said Rasheed Ahmed, Executive Director of IAMC.
IAMC extended its deepest condolences to the victims’ families and expressing solidarity with the Muslim community in India said, “We urge the Indian government to take strict action against those responsible for this heinous act of terrorism and to ensure that justice is served.
Furthermore, the Indian government must take urgent steps to curb the growing menace of cow vigilantism, which has claimed the lives of hundreds of Muslims in recent years,” said the Council in its statement.
IAMC also called upon civil society organisations, human rights groups, and the international community to condemn this act of terrorism and to pressure the Indian government to take necessary steps to protect the rights and safety of its Muslim citizens. “We urge the Indian government to take swift action to bring an immediate end to the violence and discrimination against religious minorities and to uphold the principles of justice, equality, and human rights,” said the Council.