Following the brutal lynching of a 26-year-old man in North East Delhi on September 26, police have arrested seven people including a juvenile.
The victim – Issar Ahmed – was tied to a pole and beaten mercilessly after he was allegedly caught eating ‘prasad’ from a Ganesh pandal.
The accused – Kamal, 23, who owns a DJ business; Manoj, 19, who runs a tailor shop; Yunus, 20, who works for Kamal as a DJ; Kishan, 19, a tent house labourer; Pappu, 24, who works in a thread factory; and Lucky, 19, who runs a momo stall. The minor is believed to be a 17-year-old.
Deputy commissioner of police (North East Delhi) Joy Tirkey has refused any communal angle in the incident. “All accused have disclosed that at about 5 am on Tuesday, September 26, they had caught Issar lurking in the area. They thought that he was a thief. They began asking him questions but he was unable to reply properly as he was mentally challenged. They had then tied him up to an electric pole and thrashed him,” he was quoted by The Print.
A video of the murder went viral on social media platforms where Issar can be seen tied to a pole, pleading, while they shower down a volley of blows.
Asked if Issar was targeted because of his religious identity, the senior officer said it is a “case of suspicion” and further investigations are on.
A grievously injured Issar was found by a neighbour who took him to his house. Issar’s father tried to find help but his son succumbed to his injuries in the same evening.
Meanwhile, the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) shared the video on its X (formerly known as Twitter) account and expressed shock over the incident.
“This is India’s capital city where a 26-year-old disabled Muslim man named Mohammed Israr was tied to a pole and lynched by a Hindu mob for allegedly consuming prasad (sweets) at a temple,” said the tweet.
