In yet another incident of violence triggered by a Hindu mob, a Muslim man was allegedly killed over suspicion of having stolen a cow on Monday, in East Imphal district of Manipur.
The police found the deceased Mohammad Hasmat Ali in Uchekon Moiba Thongkhong, near his residence, with his body full of wounds and with traces of dry blood.
Ali (55), who was the headmaster of a local school, is survived by his wife and three sons. He was a resident of Keirao Makting village.
The HT reported that a Muslim organization had sought the Centre’s intervention after calling a statewide lockdown on Thursday.
Md Rajauddin, a member of the organziation said, “Ali, a kind-hearted and honest teacher, was killed after being accused of a crime he could not have committed. The police know who his assailants are, but are not taking action. We will not take his body from JNIMS for burial until justice is done.”
The New York Times quoted a local police officer as saying, “We face the problem of mob justice in this area, and we are trying to do our best to contain it.”
This incident is not an isolated one, especially after a series of similar incidents in the recent past, since the infamous Dadri beef-lynching incident.
Right wing Hindu extremist organizations close to the BJP, such as the Shri Ram Sena, Bajrang Dal and Hindu Sena are known to operate vigilante groups in many parts of the country like a parallel police force, to check slaughtering and smuggling of milch cattle.
A host of writers, activists and artists have voiced their concern over the silence of the central government to the increasing ‘intolerance’ in the country, ever since Narendra Modi became the PM, riding on an overwhelming majority in the Lok Sabha elections.