Islamic body denounces lynchings, says govt assurance having no impact on ground

“It is highly regrettable that there is a feeling of fear and insecurity among citizens in many places of the country,” Maulana Umari said.

An Islamic forum on Wednesday said the Centre’s assurance that those involved in mob lynchings would be acted against was not having any impact on the ground, and the situation was “deteriorating very fast”.

Muslims under the banner of JMM Minority cell in a silent demonstration in protest of therecent lynching of a Muslim men in Ramgarh outside Governor house in Ranchi, on July 7, 2017. (Diwakar Prasad/ Hindustan Times)

Referring to recent cases of lynching, including that of teenager Junaid near Delhi, the chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Maulana Umari advised the Muslim youth to avoid being “instigated”, which he said would only aid communal forces.

“The spate of mob lynchings rages persistently in trains, buses and public places. It is highly regrettable that there is a feeling of fear and insecurity among citizens in many places of the country. Those in power assure us that breaking the law will not be tolerated and the guilty will be awarded exemplary punishment but the reality is that this assurance is not having any impact on the ground,” Umari said in a statement.

He said Muslims should not use the language of fear and despondency nor use the language of confrontation and communalism and instead “build bridges with fellow countrymen”.

Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said killing people on the pretext of protecting cows was not acceptable and warned that no one had the right to take law into his hands.