"Who Can Stop Them?": Haryana Chief Minister Downplays Mob Lynching Of Muslim Man
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has sparked controversy after downplaying the brutal mob lynching of a 23-year-old Muslim migrant worker, Sabir, in Charkhi Dadri earlier this week. Sabir, originally from West Bengal, was beaten to death by a cow vigilante group over allegations of beef consumption. Responding to the incident, Saini remarked, “It is not right to use terms like mob lynching. A strict law has been made for cow protection, and there is no compromise on it. Villagers respect cows so much that if they are informed about such things, who can stop them?”
The chief minister’s comments have been widely criticised for failing to condemn the violence outright. Although he added that such incidents were “unfortunate” and should not happen, his remarks appeared to justify the vigilante group’s actions, raising concerns about the rise of communal violence under the guise of cow protection.
CM is supporting murder in the name of cow. You have such people aplenty in the BJP. Supporters and legitimisers of violence against Muslims and Christians are in constitutional offices. https://t.co/M39cNiX1wH
— Apoorvanand अपूर्वानंद (@Apoorvanand__) September 1, 2024
According to the police First Information Report (FIR), Sabir and another migrant worker, Asiruddin from Assam, were lured by a group of miscreants under the pretext of buying scrap and were then savagely beaten. While Sabir’s lifeless body was discovered near a canal, Asiruddin was found severely injured and is receiving treatment in a local hospital.
The victim’s uncle, Babar Ali Mallik, revealed that Sabir had been targeted before due to his Bengali heritage and was falsely suspected of being a Bangladeshi. He had been living in Haryana with his wife for three years, working as a scrap collector.
West Bengal Migrant Workers’ Development Board chairman, Samirul Islam, condemned the incident, calling it a threat to migrant workers in BJP-ruled states and urged people to unite in protest against such atrocities.
