[Umar Muhammad died on the spot after facing pistol firing from the vigilantes whereas Tahir Khan is battling for his life in a nearby private hospital. (File photo)]
Jaipur: About six months after a Muslim farmer was lynched while he was transporting cows to his village in Haryana, two Muslim men were gunned down in Alwar, Rajasthan by Hindu extremists who alleged them of smuggling cows.
Cattle traders Umar Muhammad and Tahir Khan were transporting cows from Mewat in Haryana to Bharatpur in Rajasthan on Friday November 10, when they were stopped by alleged cow vigilantes in the Fahari village near Alwar district.
Umar Muhammad died on the spot after facing pistol firing from the vigilantes whereas Tahir Khan is battling for his life in a nearby private hospital.
The officials have denied saying anything on the matter, but have nodded to the fact the Umar died because of the bullet injuries.
The incident has shocked the Mewat community, with residents launching a protest.
Relatives of the victim alleged that policemen too were present at the site of the incident but did nothing to stop the attackers.
They have demanded immediate arrest of the accused, but two days after the murder, no FIR in the case has been registered so far.
In April last, Pehlu Khan, a 55-year-old Muslim farmer, was similarly lynched by cow vigilantes in Alwar. A case against some cow vigilantes wre filed after much protest, consequently resulting in some arrests. All those arrested in the case however were later given clean chit by the investigators.
Attacks and targeted killings of Muslims by cow vigilantes are on the rise ever since the BJP government came to power in New Delhi.
A recent report has in fact unearthed deeper game behind the targeting of Muslims in the name of cow protection. The comprehensive report by news agency Reuters has found that there is a systematic plan to economically marginalise Muslims who are already at the lowest level of the economic ladder because of decades of bias and prejudice.
The report also found that cow vigilantes seize cows from Muslim farmers and hand them over to Hindus - a planned strategy to deny Muslims their livelihood.
Post Comments
| Quick links