CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS DEMAND MODI GOVERNMENT TO ACT AGAINST CULPRITS AND REIN IN HINDUTVA LYNCH MOBS LOYAL TO BJP
Abdul Bari Masoud | Clarion India
NEW DELHI – As the Parliament was rocked on Wednesday over the brutal lynching of 22-year-old Tabrez Ansari in Jharkhand, massive protests were held in the national capital and in cities across India demanding speedy justice to the slain youth and to rein in the growing mob lynching culture in the country.
Thousands of civil society members and activists belonging to various organisations including the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and United Against Hate held massive demonstrations in front of the Jharkhand State Bhavan here demanding a high-level judicial inquiry by a sitting High court judge into the bestial killing and immediate arrest of all accused and guilty police personnel. United Against Hate, a civil society group also a held a sit-in protest and candle march near the Parliament House urging the BJP governments in the state and at the Centre to act against the culprits.
Leading the protest, SDPI Vice President Sharfuddin Ahmad said the SDPI strongly condemned the brutal killing of the innocent Muslim youth Tabrez Ansari in Jharkhand saying this BJP-ruled state has emerged as a “hub of mob lynching” where as many as 13 cases of mob lynching have taken place since May 2014 after the BJP came to power. Members attached to the affiliate outfits of the ruling party feel no fear of the law and they are committing heinous crimes with impunity, he said adding the police were also equally responsible for the inhuman killing of innocent people like Tabrez Ansari.
Ansari was brutally thrashed by a mob for nearly 12 hours accusing him of bike theft on June 18 and a video had emerged which purportedly shows the mob repeatedly beating him and forcing him to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Jai Hanuman’ in Jharkhand’s Saraikela Kharsawan district.
Speaking to Clarion India, Ahmad pointed out that after winning the elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had vowed that his government would try to win the trust of the minorities but not a single day passes without the attacks on Muslims.
“We came here to register our protest and send a strong message to the BJP-led government at the Center and in States that henceforth the public won’t tolerate such heinous and inhuman acts,” he said.
“We demand a high-level inquiry by a sitting judge in a time-bound manner and arrest of all the accused and guilty police officials who kept Tabrez Ansari in custody instead of admitting him in a hospital,” he said.
As a video shows, Tabrez was beaten up mercilessly for 18 hours and instead of nabbing the offenders, the Police also tortured him in custody and denied him medical care, he added.
He warned that if the government does not act against this menace, it will lead to civil war in the country as Muslims have been forced to live under a state of fear by the Hindutva groups with the tacit support of the ruling party.
Another leader Dr T A Rahmani came down heavily on the Modi government saying the time for sitting in cozy homes and expressing anguish over social media is over and people have to come out on streets to vent their pain and anguish.
After the return of the Modi regime mob lynching incidents have increased manifold and this was against what PM Modi had said in his maiden speech after the election for the second term in the Parliament’s Central hall adding “Vishwas” (trust) in the slogan “Sabka Sath sabka Vikas”.
In another demonstration organised by the United Against Hate at the Jantar Mantra, hundreds of people gathered and vent their indignation at what is happening in the name of Hindutva in the country. People came with banners, and placards with slogans like “We can’t turn Hindustan into Lynchistan.” #IndiaAgainstLynchTerror ; #JusticeForTabrez.
In Hyderabad down South, Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) and others held massive protests condemning continuing violence and hate attacks against Muslims.
In Ranchi, the Jharkhand capital, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind also held a protest march in front of Raj Bhavan in which thousands of people joined. The protesters expressed their anger over the killing of Tabrez Ansari and demanded from the state government to take stern punitive action against the guilty persons.
Maulana Mahmood Madani, General Secretary of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind said that if the Jharkhand government failed to act in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court, then Jamiat would launch a country-wide protest against mob lynching.
After the protest march, a delegation of JUH met Chief Minister and Governor and submitted a memorandum which made a demand that that the killers of Tabrez Ansari and culprit police officers be brought to book immediately as well adequate financial compensation be paid to the next of kin of the deceased and government should give employment to his wife.”
The Jamiat also demanded that a separate law should be enacted and a fast track court be established to handle the mob-lynching cases. All the incidents of mob lynching that have taken place in Jharkhand in the past shall be transferred to the fast track court.
The attention of the Jharkhand CM has been specifically drawn by submitting a memorandum to him that the killing of Tabrez Ansari is not an ordinary incident, but a result of a particular mindset that is very much against the civilizational and democratic ethos of the country, the delegation told the CM. The death of Tabrez Ansari in police custody is also a matter of great concern and seriousness. Such kind of ghastly and barbaric action can never be condoned in a democratic and civilized country like India, the delegation said.
Meanwhile, Lok Sabha witnessed uproarious scenes on the issue. Raising the matter during the Zero Hour, Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy said the lynching of youth in Jharkhand is a blot on humanity and the BJP should look into the affairs of the state ruled by it.
“BJP members are speaking about West Bengal, but not taking steps on what is happening in Jharkhand and other places. This is an example of religious intolerance and the TMC will continue to protest against mob lynching,” Roy said.
It was a “cold-blooded murder” of as police held the youth, who had sustained severe head injuries, in custody for four days, he told the House.
Muslim MPs, Azam Khan, Barrister Asaduddin Owaisi, Shafiqur Rahman Barq and others also joined the issue demanding justice to the late youth.
