22 November Friday

CPI(M) Delegation Visits Alwar Lynching Victim’s Family

Web Desk‌Updated: Friday Jul 27, 2018

A DELEGATION of CPI(M) led  by Nilotpal Basu, Polit Bureau  member, ex MP and Haryana secretary  Surender Singh visited Firozpur Jhirka  and village Kolgaon on July 22 to meet  the family of lynching victim Akbar  Khan alias Rakbar Khan by a vigilante  group on the intervening night of July  20-21 in Ramgarh (Alwar) Rajasthan.

The delegation noted that this  lynching is particularly shocking as  it comes within days of the stinging  Supreme Court judgment over vigilante  crimes and such groups taking upon  themselves the functions of law  enforcement, based on self-declared  allegations. Anger and anguish raged  among the people there who questioned  whether the Meos have no right to rear  cows and will continue to be singled out  and attacked? However, what appeared  to be extremely heartening was the  palpable sense of brotherhood and  solidarity across communities, a  traditional feature in these areas,  despite such grave provocations to  polarise the society.

The Mewat area, as a whole, is  extremely backward. Main occupation  is rain fed agriculture and animal  husbandry. Rearing of cattle is one of  the main sources of livelihood.  The delegation came to know that  lynching took place at about 12.45 am  and the police was informed  immediately. It came to the place of  incident at about 1.20 am but police took  about three hours to take the victim to  hospital (CHC) which is just four kms  away. In this way, they wasted crucial  time. It’s a serious matter. The role of  police needs to be investigated.

This is not the first instance when  such lynching has taken place in the  region. There is political patronage  to these cow vigilante groups. In this  case as well, there is every likelihood of  complicity of a nexus of cow vigilante  groups, police administration and  ruling party politicians.  It is shameful that till now none  from the government of Haryana has  visited the victim’s family to console.  No formal declaration of compensation  has been made either by Haryana or

Rajasthan government.  Akbar’s family is very poor with a  house of one room and a thatch. He  was a marginal dairy farmer and part  time labourer. He has seven children  between the age of 1-14 years. He was  the sole bread earner of the family.  The whole family is devastated by his  death. Akbar along with Aslam had gone  to purchase cows and were returning  with two cows and two calves.  The villagers told the Party  delegation that Kolgaon is on border  with Rajasthan. Nearest town is  Navgaon in Rajasthan just nine kms  away. They have to visit it for their  daily needs and have to face humiliation.  Their motor cycles, tractors and other  vehicles are towed away by police.

Even when they take their cattle for  insemination they are caught, attacked,  humiliated and sometimes their cattle  are also snatched away. There is a  general bias amongst the police of  adjoining Rajasthan areas against  these people. The CPI(M) reiterates its  condemnation of this brutal murder  and similar incidents of lynching and  demands that, i) all the culprits, most  of whom have been identified by name,  must be arrested and punished. ii)  role of Rajasthan police in the whole  episode be investigated and guilty be  punished. iii) adequate compensation  be given for the victim’s family. iv)  cows purchased by Akbar and Aslam be  handed over to the family.

The delegation was accompanied  by important leaders of the state and  the district committees and important  social activists from the area.    
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