NEW DELHI: In a shocking revelation, Farida Abdullah Khan, a member of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), who visited the spot as part of a fact-finding mission, said that Muslim man’s lynching in Uttar Pradesh was “not spontaneous”.
According to a report prepared by NCM on the Dadri case, there was “some amount of planning” before the lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq, who was killed by a mob over ‘beef’ rumours.
“There was no instigation for it. Announcements were made about beef being found at this man’s (Akhlaq s) house. He had no idea but enough people were there to attack the family and kill one man and grievously injure his son,” Farida Abdullah Khan said.
Khan said that there was an “atmosphere of hatred” in the country and suggested that “not condemning” such incidents makes the situation “worse”.
Stating that the “citizenship rights of Muslims are being denied and challenged”, she said, “One community cannot live at the mercy of other communities. The Constitution gives everyone the right to practice one’s religion and culture. The state should be able to guarantee everyone their citizenship rights. Give an assurance. The citizenship rights of Muslims cannot be denied.”
The report comes few days after India’s Union Minister and BJP leader from western Uttar Pradesh Sanjeev Kumar Balyan said the lynching of a Muslim over rumours of beef eating was a “spontaneous” act” and no communal colour should be given to it.
Akhlaq’s killing by a Hindu mob last month fuelled a fierce debate over rising intolerance towards religious minorities in India.
Cows are considered holy by many, but not all, Hindus, who form a majority of India s population of 1.2 billion. Beef is eaten by Muslims and Christians, as well as many lower-caste Hindus.
The lynching drew widespread condemnation and more than 20 writers returned awards in the past four weeks, saying India s secular fabric was under attack from Modi s hardline Hindu nationalist supporters.
