A 32-year-old man from the minority community was allegedly lynched to death by a group of cow vigilantes on suspicion of carrying beef in their vehicle.
The incident took place on Saturday night in Nashik district of Maharashtra.
The deceased has been identified as Afan Ansari who hailed from Mumbai’s Kurla area. He and his friend Nasir Ghulam Hussain Qureshi were travelling in a car when they were intercepted by the cow vigilantes. Upon knowing the men were carrying meat, they were brutally beaten up.
Deputy superintendent of police (Nashik Rural) Sunil Bhamre told Lokmat Times they found the injured men inside the car which was fully damaged. Ansari and Qureshi were rushed to a nearby hospital. However, Ansari did not survive the attack.
“A case of murder and rioting has been registered. Ten people have been taken into custody so far. Further investigations are underway,” DSP Bhamre added.
Lynching after Modi’s no-discrimination-in-India quote
The incident comes three days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi denied any discrimination against minority communities in India in a rare press conference with US President Joe Biden at the White House on June 22.
“What actions are you and your government prepared to take to protect the freedom of speech while simultaneously advancing the rights of minorities in your nation,” Modi was questioned by the White House Correspondent for The Wall Street Journal Sabrina Siddiqui.
Modi replied, “Bharat ke loktantrik mulyo mein koi bhed bhav nahi hai, na dharm ke aadhar par, na jati ke aadhar par, na umaar ke aadhar par…(There is no discrimination in India’s democratic values, neither on the basis of religion, nor on the basis of caste, nor on the basis of age)”.
It was a rare sight that a journalist was asking PM Modi direct questions let alone alleging human rights violations. During his 10-year tenure, he has not held a single press conference anywhere in India.
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