CPI (M) politburo member Brinda Karat along with other party workers on Saturday met the family of Junaid and expressed shock over the silence of the Centre and the Haryana government over the case.
Blaming the Sangh Parivar, Ms. Karat said the attack was an outcome of a “campaign” run by it.
“The BJP is patronising communal elements to commit these crimes,” she said.
Ms. Karat further said that if the government was willing to control the situation, it would have at least issued a statement. “Why hasn’t a single Haryana government official or a Minister visited the family? This is because they know that the murder was the result of their own campaign,” she said.
‘Common occurrences’
According to Junaid’s family, such communal incidents are common on the train where the attack happened.
“The villagers and the family told us that Muslims who travel in the train and other trains on the route are often subjected to abuse and harassment,” she said. According to Ms. Karat, some bhajan mandalis have made certain compartments of the train “an exclusive religious zone” and if a Muslim enters that, they are harassed.
Pointing out the lack of security, Ms. Karat asked how the perpetrators managed to board the train armed with knives. “This is a question that demands answer,” she said.
Recalling her conversation with Junaid’s mother Saira, the veteran leader said, “Junaid’s mother told us that her sons were called beef eaters when they hadn’t even had a drop of water since morning,” said Ms. Karat.
CPI (M) threatens stir
The party has demanded immediate arrest of the culprits, better security on trains, compensation to the family and free medical treatment of Junaid’s brother Shakir. “Political connections of the criminals must also be identified,” said Ms Karat. CPI(M)’s Haryana State Secretary Surinder Malik said they would hold a protest in the Capital if their demands were not met.
