Meer Faisal
NEW DELHI—Waris, a twenty-two-year-old Muslim mechanic from Hussainpur village in Haryana’s Mewat district, was allegedly killed by the Hindutva organisation Bajrang Dal, alleged his family members.
A video of Bajrang Dal members harassing and assaulting three Muslim men, including Waris, inside of a car quickly went viral after the event.
Since the Akhlaq tragedy in Dadri seven to eight years ago, where the alleged motivation was cow protection, lynchings have all too frequently occurred. These mob attacks most frequently target Muslims, Dalits, and Adivasis people. The alleged mastermind of the lynching of Waris this time was Monu Maneshwar, the regional leader of the notoriously violent Bajrang Dal.
Imran, Waris’ brother, claimed that they had been told that Bajrang Dal members had arrived and were abusing Muslims. “When we got online to Facebook, I witnessed my brother and three other young men getting beaten up by cow vigilantes. They were there when it happened,” he declared.
Maneshwar denied the accusations when India Tomorrow questioned him about them. “I belong to the Bajrang Dal cow protection group in Haryana. However, the accusations made against me are wholly untrue and unfounded. After their car hit another car, Waris sustained injuries. We have visual evidence of this, ” he said.
Arvind Kumar, the Station House Officer (SHO), told India Tomorrow, “Waris was killed in a car accident. The remainder is all untrue claims. We’ll look into this situation and react appropriately as a consequence.”
Two Muslim boys who were with Waris at the time, according to the police, were detained. “An FIR was lodged against them on suspicion of cattle smuggling,” he added.
This tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the escalating issue of mob and cow vigilantism violence in India, notably against Muslim, Dalit, and Adivasi populations.
The youth was allegedly assaulted for five hours before being eventually given access to medical care, according to Waris’ family and the nearby villagers, who also claim that the police failed to step in to save them.
In India, these kinds of assaults have increased in frequency, and many victims’ families have complained that the authorities have not done enough to safeguard them.
In a video, Waris’ companion Nafees, who was there at the time of the assault, said, “We were three persons while going back we observed people from Bajrang Dal started following us while claiming to be “gaurakshak”. In the meantime, our car collided. We exited the vehicle following the collision, and in the presence of police officers, they brutally beat us. Monu Maneshwar, a member of the Bajrang dal, held us captive and tortured us from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Waris was horribly hurt and passed away before we could get him to the hospital.”
The Hindu radical group Bajrang Dal is alleged to be with using violence and intimidation against minority populations in India. Despite the group’s claims to be defending Hinduism’s revered cows, its activities have been called extreme and illegal. Outrage and demands for justice have been spurred by this most recent event, with many asking for an end to the violence and impunity for cow vigilantes. How can a private organisation be allowed to do what is the job of the police and state agencies?
Bajrang Dal activists seem to have become a law unto themselves. The tragedy also shows how urgently the government must act to stop these kinds of mob violence and safeguard the rights and safety of all citizens, regardless of their race or religious beliefs.
The community, including Waris’ family, is calling for the attackers to be punished for their acts and for justice to be served in the young man’s murder.
