Muslim youth near lynched in Rajgarh district of Madhya Pradesh

Prabhatesh Tripathi

Rajgarh, Madhya Pradesh: Just less than a week after the horrific incident of hate crime in Madhya Pradesh’s Seoni district where a Hindu man was beaten and forced to thrash his Muslim friends including a woman, another alleged hate crime related incident has surfaced in the state’s Rajgarh district.

A 20-year-old Muslim youth nearly lynched by a group of men belonging to other religion who hurled religion specific abuses at him.

The victim identified as Sameer, a resident of village Kotri-Kalan in Kurawar town of the district had gone to buy a new mobile-phone at a shop run by Rinku Mishra. According to Sameer, after buying the phone he asked Rinku for the box of the phone that when thing turned ugly as Rinku with some of his friends started hurling racial abuses.

The argument turned into a scuffle which grew as Rinku and three of his friends beat Sameer viciously. Sameer was beaten with batons and empty cold drink bottles.

Sameer is recuperating at a private hospital in the state capital of Bhopal, where he was referred to by the Rajgarh civil hospital doctors. Sameer sustained serious injuries on his head and limbs.

‘They robbed me of Rs 76,000’

Sameer, at the hospital said, “I had demanded the right cover box of the mobile phone I purchased. When I told them my name for writing in the receipt, they mocked me and started making religion specific remarks and when I protested, they started beating me up.”

Sameer also claimed that he was robbed of Rs 76,000, which he had got after selling crops, by the attackers.

Hateem Khan, Sameer’s cousin alleged, “My brother was paraded and beaten across Kurawar, like police takes procession of criminals. He had just reached to buy a new mobile phone and Rinku started hurling religion specific abuses at him when he demanded the right cover box of the new handset.”

He was beaten with batons, cold drink bottles and belts inside the shop, outside and they chased him down when he tried to run away. Following the incident, Sameer with the help of his relatives reached Kurawar police station to lodge a complaint. Post his complaint, an FIR was registered under Section 294, 232, 506 and 34 of the IPC.

Prime accused Rinku Sharma with one other was arrested on Tuesday night while the rest two were arrested on Wednesday.

A different story from cops

However, when it comes to the preliminary investigation, police, prima facie, ruled out the hate-crime angle into the case and said it was Sameer who initiated the clash.

Pradeep Sharma, superintendent of police, Rajgarh district said, “Sameer Ullah had himself reached the Kurawar police station to lodge the FIR. The scuffle started over the cover box of the mobile phone and it was Sameer Ullah who first slapped Rinku. Following which Rinku and others thrashed him.”

“I don’t think it’s a case of mob lynching and was just a scuffle as Sameer himself reached the police station to lodge a complaint,” Sharma added.

When asked about the religion-specific abuse as Sameer claimed, he said: “Sameer did not say anything about it while lodging his complaint and without his signature, FIR could not have been completed.”

No counter FIR has been lodged by the second party concerned in the case.

State government’s apathy towards minorities  

Rajgarh is a pocket borough of former chief minister and Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh, who recently lost Lok Sabha election from Bhopal against BJP’s Sadhvi Pragya Thakur.

Earlier, in February this year, the ruling Congress government in Madhya Pradesh had invoked the National Security Act (NSA) on three Muslim youths hailing from Khandwa district, over alleged involvement in cow slaughter. On February 2, the Khandwa police had arrested Azam, Nadeem and Shaqil on charges of cow slaughter.

Similar action was taken against two youths Mehboob Khan and Rodmal Malviya by police in Agar-Malwa district on February 6 for illegal transportation of cows. Justifying the action home minister Bala Bachchan had said: “The actions will continue if cases of cow killing come to fore.” Former union minister and senior Congress leader, P Chidambaram had disapproved of the NSA action by the MP government.