Elham Asaad Buaras
On February 17, six people were detained by police in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan for allegedly killing two Muslim men in a cow vigilante case.
According to the deceased’s family members, the two were kidnapped from Bharatpur in Rajasthan by members of the right-wing Bajrang Dal.
The victims’ skeletal remains were discovered inside a charred vehicle on February 16 in Bhiwani, Haryana’s northernmost city. Mohammed Jabir, a cousin of killed men – Nasir, 25, and Junaid, 35, who were residents of Ghatmeeka village – told journalists that members of Bajrang Dal led by Monu Manesar abducted their brothers. “They were beaten up and then set on fire,” he alleged.
However, police alleged that one of the victims was involved in cow smuggling and that the matter is being investigated.
According to a Bharatpur range police official, Gaurav Srivastava, they have detained and are questioning six people.
“Those named are members of Bajrang Dal, but whether they were involved in the crime or not is yet to be ascertained,” he said. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, while condemning the incident, said that the police have been instructed to take strict action in this matter.
While speaking about the incident, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Assasuddin Owaisi stated that Muslims across the country are being targeted in a systematic manner.
“I condemn in the strongest possible words the killing of Junaid and Nasir by an organised gang in Haryana,” he said, and alleged that these gangs are supported by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Following a complaint from the family members of the deceased men, a First Information Report was filed against five people at the Gopalgarh police station in Rajasthan. The bodies of the two deceased men have been handed over to the family after a post-mortem. Cows are considered sacred in Hinduism, and since Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, took office in 2014, Hindu nationalists have increased their attacks on Muslim cattle owners.
Most Indian states have outlawed cow slaughter and have strict laws in place for slaughtering a cow.
Many killings in India have occurred in the name of cow protection, which were allegedly organised by right-wing groups close to the ruling BJP.
