‘Could be a planned one to…’: Jamiat chief on lynching of Muslim man in Haryana

In a statement, Maulana Arshad Madani also demanded that ‘secular’ political parties speak out ‘openly' against such incidents.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind chief Maulana Arshad Madani on Monday claimed that the mob lynching of a Muslim migrant worker in Haryana could be a ‘planned’ one aimed at creating ‘communal mobilisation’ ahead of the upcoming assembly polls in the state.

Five of the accused in police custody in Charkhi Dadri on Saturday. (Manoj Dhaka/HT)

“This lynching could be a planned one because assembly elections are soon to be held in Haryana. So, it is possible that communal elements could have done this to create communal mobilisation,” Madani said in a statement released by Jamiat.

He further stated that merely condemning such incidents was not enough and demanded that political parties, especially the ‘secular’ ones, ‘come out openly' and 'take steps to get laws made against it (mob violence).'

“This lynching has proved that communal elements consider themselves above the law…they are taking the law in their own hands and targeting a particular community on the basis of the victim's religion,” the statement quoted the Jamiat chief as saying.

That such ‘brutality’ was not stopping despite strict instructions by the Supreme Court was ‘saddening,’ Madani noted, adding that this clearly showed that people indulging in such actions do so with ‘political support and protection’ and that their morale was ‘high.’

Police in Haryana's Charkhi Dadri have arrested five men from a so-called cow vigilante group, and two minor boys, for the August 27 incident in which they allegedly lynched Sabir Malik from West Bengal on suspicion of him having consumed beef.

On October 5, Haryana will vote to elect its next government. The votes will be counted on October 8.

(With PTI inputs)