All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi condemned the kidnapping and murder of two Muslim men in Haryana by suspected cow vigilantes. Owaisi alleged that the Haryana police had given protection to one of the accused. Two men were found charred to death in a car in Haryana's Bhiwani district, on Thursday, February 16, after they were allegedly abducted from Bharatpur district in Rajasthan by men suspected to be cow vigilantes. The families of the deceased, Nasir (25) and Junaid alias Juna (35), said in their complaint to the police that the people who abducted them were from Bajrang Dal.
“The two men were kidnapped, assaulted and burnt alive. The cousin of the victim who filed a complaint has mentioned to the media about one person called Monu. Haryana police gives protection to this person. All this is part of an organised crime. They put out videos of violence on YouTube and earn money from it. They have patronage and protection,” Owaisi told the media in Hyderabad.
Owaisi also questioned why everyone involved has not been arrested by the Haryana police. “Why isn't the Haryana government arresting those involved? Are they from a terrorist organisation to have so many weapons? They target Muslims in the name of ‘gau raksha’ (cow protection). There are videos of them firing bullets and chasing people. The AIMIM condemns this attack in the strongest way. I ask, will the PM speak up against such attacks or silently support such criminals?” he said.
Owaisi also questioned why the videos shot by the killers were allowed on social media platforms. “If YouTube and Facebook have a no-hate policy, then how are their videos still there on these platforms? Isn't this a violation of their proposal of no hate?” he said. He also questioned the government over the videos and said that while the Union government tried to take down links to the BBC documentary, there was no move to take down videos of such violence.
The AIMIM leader termed the incident as organised targeted violence being unleashed against Muslims. “Is my self-respect less than yours? Such groups have the support of RSS and their affiliated organisations. That is what emboldens them. The day BJP stops promoting them and starts acting against them this will stop. They are no longer fringe. They have become mainstream,” he said.