Opposition parties should fight for policies that will end impunity for cow vigilantes, says IAMC.
Team Clarion
WASHINGTON, DC – The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) has condemned the brutal mob lynching of two Muslim men by cow vigilantes in Chhattisgarh state, just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party-led coalition won a third term in office.
The incident is a glaring reminder that while Modi might have lost a majority in the general elections, the climate of anti-minority violence encouraged by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its Hindu supremacist supporters remains a dangerous reality that continues to threaten the lives of Muslims and other minorities, the IAMC said in a statement on Monday.
On the night of June 6, Chand Miyan, Guddu Khan, and Saddam Qureshi were attacked by cow vigilantes while transporting cattle from Chhattisgarh to Odisha state. Police confirmed that the attack was pre-planned and that the cow vigilantes had followed their truck and planted sharp nails in their path.
Chand Miyan’s relative and Qureshi’s friend reported that they were both called by the victims between 2-3 a.m., during which Miyan said they were being attacked by a mob, and Qureshi could be heard “crying for help and begging for water.”
Miyan’s body was found under a 30-foot-high bridge, along with Qureshi and Khan, who were critically injured. Khan succumbed to his injuries in the hospital, while Qureshi was undergoing treatment.
“Cow vigilantism is terrorism against Muslims,” said IAMC President Mohammed Jawad. “For ten years, Modi and the BJP have normalised and even celebrated this form of terrorism, leading to the deaths of hundreds of Muslims over the years. Unless those who encourage cow vigilantism and those who perpetuate this violence are both held accountable, mob lynchings will only continue to claim lives,” he said.
Executive Director of the IAMC Rasheed Ahmed said opposition parties should fight for policies that will end impunity for cow vigilantes. “Modi and his supporters cannot be allowed to get away with another five years of normalising horrific murders in the name of Hindu extremism,” he said.
The IAMC urged the Indian government to take strict action against those responsible for the mob lynching and to ensure that justice is served.
Furthermore, it said the Indian government must take urgent steps to curb the growing danger of cow vigilantism, including by taking strict action against politicians, Hindu supremacist group leaders, and other actors who glorify cow vigilantism and other forms of anti-Muslim violence.
The IAMC also called upon India’s opposition parties, civil society organisations, human rights groups, and the international community to condemn cow vigilantism as a form of terrorism and to ensure that the Indian government takes necessary steps to ensure the 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,” the IAMC said.
