“My son, the sole breadwinner, was battered with hammers. His knees, ankles, toes, arms, ribs, forehead and scalp are all broken. This is bad,” broke down Hafiz Bilal struggling to find the right words to describe the attack on his son Lukmaan. He paused to add: “Even animals should not be beaten up so mercilessly”.
Lukmaan (25) was driving towards a meat market in Gurugram on July 31 when he was waylaid by some local youth and beaten up in full public view on the suspicion of beef .
Mr. Hafiz, a fruit vendor, had called up his son, like everyday, on the fateful morning when one of the assailants took the call and told him that his son had been “murdered” and now they would come for him. Left alarmed, the 64-year-old called up the village Sarpanch who, in turn, informed the area MLA and senior Congress leader Aftab Ahmed. “Mr. Ahmed spoke to the Gurugram police and the assailants were then held in Badshahpur,” Mr. Hafiz recounted the sequence of events to his neighbours as relatives gathered at his house in Ghasera village here on Sunday.
Lukmaan’s cousin Mohammad Ishtiaq alleged that the assailants had plans to burn him alive. “He pleaded with them and said that it was buffalo meat, but they would not listen. When he cried “Allah” in pain as they rained hammers and rods, the assailants told him to chant “Jai Shri Ram” instead,” said Ishtiaq.
Lukmaan, the eldest among three brothers, mostly transported vegetables and meat to earn his livelihood. Married two years ago, Lukmaan has a year-old daughter.
Hafiz said the assailants also took away ₹70,000 kept in the vehicle and a mobile phone worth ₹30,000.
Lukmaan’s uncle Soraabh alleged that the police were also present when Lukmaan was being beaten up near Jama Masjid meat market. He regretted that people from the meat market too remained mute spectators to the brutal attack.
Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind’s Gurugram president Mufti Mohammad Saleem Qasmi said that a video of the incident showed that police officers were also scared to step out of their vehicle and face the mob. “The police have invoked very lenient sections. The accused should be booked under the most stringent sections to ensure that they are punished,” said Mr. Saleem.
Mr. Ahmed termed the assault on Lukmaan “an attack on the Gandhi’s ideology and the democracy by those who believed in Godse’s ideology”. He demanded to know from the Haryana Chief Minister as to why such attacks had taken place in Nuh over the past six years.
Police Commissioner K.K. Rao said eleven accused were identified in the case and two were arrested. He said the accused were charged for attempt to murder. Badshaspur Station House Officer has been sent to lines and three officers suspended in this connection.
