Janhastakshep a campaign against fascist designs
Contact:
Ish
Mishra: 9811146846; Vikas Bajpai: 9810275314
Press
release
Dated: 5th October 2015
Subject: Janhastakshep report on the mob
lynching of a Muslim man in Bishahara village of Dadri Tehsil of
Gautam Buddha Nagar District, Uttar Pradesh.
On
2nd October 2015 a team of Janhastakshep comprised of academics Dr
Vikas Bajpai from Jawaharlal Nehru University and Prof Ish Mishra (Hindu
College, Delihi University); journalists – Anil Dubey, Rajesh Kumar and Parthiv
and Sheetal Bhopal, a student activist of Delhi Univesity, went to Bishahara
village of Gautam Buddh Nagar District to investigate the incidence of
communal lynching of a Muslim man Akhlaq and attack on his son Danish (who is
battling for life) on the 28th of September for allegedly killing a
calf and eating beef..
This
incident comes in wake of uninterrupted controversies and communal tensions that
have been kept alive around the issue of cow slaughter / ban on beef in
different parts of the country. Several incidents of communal violence;
threatening and killing of intellectuals opposed to Sangh Parivar’s communal
designs and retrogressive sociopolitical agenda have been reported.
The
pace of Sangh Parivar’s campaign seems to reflect its mounting trepidation in
face of the ever elusive ‘acche din’ (good days promised to the people) and the
nose diving economy.
Our
investigation of the events leading up to the murder of the deceased Muslim
person Muhammad Akhlaque Saifi and grievous injury sustained by his son Danish reveals
that this incidence is an extension of the new genre of low intensity, high
impact communal tension/violence targeting the better off Muslims and
instilling the fear of the brute power of the majority community among the
poorer Muslim masses.
There was ample
evidence available to suggest that the incidence did not take place on the spur
of the moment and had been well planned for by the Hindutva forces. This was
implemented through a maze of front organizations other than those whose
association with the Sangh Parivar is established such that the events could
not be directly attributed to the Sangh Parivar. The team found a prospering of
dubious ‘senas’ like the ‘Rashtravadi Pratap Sena’, ‘Samadhan Sena’ and ‘Ram
Sena’ in the area.
Conversations
with different sections of the people, most of whom were from the dominant
Rajput community, reflected that a critical mass of people that the attacked
Muslim family were convinced that the family had actually killed a calf.
However, there were just too many holes in every version of how this was
discovered, to stand scrutiny.
The role of the
temple priest who made the announcement from on loud speaker and has since
disappeared from the village; the role of the present village pradhan and that
of the area MP and union minister Mahesh Sharma is highly circumspect.
Pradhan’s own son and nephew are among the persons arrested for inciting and
leading the mob.
On 2nd
October while addressing his supporters in the Shiv temple of the village,
Mahesh Sharma had alleged that the media was communalizing the whole incident
and threatened it of the consequences. He said that “the villagers will not allow
the media to even enter the village.” His concern was more of having justice
delivered to those arrested in the case rather than ensuring justice and
security for the aggrieved family.
A detailed
report of the entire episode has been prepared by the Janhastakshep team to
substantiate our assessment of this crime committed by the Hindutva forces.
Based on our investigation we wish to make the following demands from the State
government:
·
Janhastakshep
fully supports the demand of the family that the culprits behind this heinous
crime should be brought to justice without further ado or laxity.
·
Janhastakshep
demands that the union minister, Mahesh Sharma be immediately dismissed from
the cabinet for insulting the victims by describing the whole incident as an
accident resulting from misunderstanding and for protecting the perpetrators on
the ground. An FIR should also be filed against him for threatening the media
persons in the village with adverse consequences.
·
While
condemning the UP government for allowing free play to the communal forces in
the state and failing to control violence against Muslims in the state; Janhastakshep
demands that an adequately powered enquiry be instituted to unravel the entire
conspiracy behind this incident.
·
We
also demand that action be taken against the local police for its utter failure
to restrain the local communal elements and for failing to keep track the
activities of the numerous ‘senas’ that have been active in vitiating the
atmosphere in the area.
-sd-
(Ish
Mishra)
Convener
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