Several student groups and progressive organisations assembled near India Gate on Wednesday to protest against the killing of Umar Mohammed in Alwar and the attacks on two others — Tahir and Jabba — on November 10 in Bharatpur, questioning “the rule of mob in Rajasthan”.
‘Raje should resign’
The protesters demanded justice for Umar Mohammed, who was allegedly shot dead and later thrown on rail tracks by cow vigilantes in Bharatpur. They also demanded the resignation of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje over her “incapability to address the situation”. They said that she must apologise for her “insensitive” remark on Umar’s murder that the government did not have enough police personnel to prevent such murders.
“I was incharge of Rajasthan for two years but these kinds of incidents have never happened before. As part of the Muslim Women’s Forum, I stand here for every victim of barbarism and autocracy,” said Sayeda Hameed, former member of the Planning Commission of India. She stressed that the youth were the future of the country and called for a united struggle against hatred and violence.
“The Rajasthan Police closed the investigation into Pehlu Khan’s murder. Will they do the same with Umar? These attacks are not on Muslims but on humanity. We must unite against the communal agenda of RSS and BJP,” said Vimal Bhai, convenor, Matu Jan Sangathan.
‘Planned propaganda’
Activist Kavita Krishnan called the killings “a carefully planned propaganda” that was meant to give a message to the minority community of the country. “If some Muslim is a dairy farmer, does that become a license for his murder? Umar being posed as a thief is propaganda. Where was the police when the supposed gang war was taking place which led to the death of Umar? It is time to speak up against hate politics,” Ms. Krishnan said.
“Lynching has become an omnipresent calamity. The minorities are the most vulnerable. The job of the State has been transferred to the rakshaks . They’re the courts who give verdicts. These terrorists enjoy political impunity in the name of cow vigilantism,” said Amir Malik, member, Bhagat Singh Ambedkar Students’ Organisation (BASO).
Annie Raja, general secretary, National Federation of Indian Women, accused the government of building a false narrative to prove that the country’s minority is a terrorist population. “Their dream to form a Hindu rashtra at the cost of ... the Dalits, Muslims and women will never be realised,” said Ms. Raja.
The protest was organised and addressed by members of various groups, including the All India Democratic Women’s Association, All India Students’ Association, Aman Biradari, ANHAD, BASO, Centre of Trade Unions, Jamia Students Forum, Muslim Women Forum, National Alliance for People’s Movement and Pehchan.
