A 55-year-old Muslim man was lynched to death in Beawar, in Rajasthan’s Ajmer district, on April 3, a day after communal riots broke out in Karauli where 40 shops, belonging to Muslims, were attacked following a bike rally that turned violent.
According to a report by Maktoob Media, the deceased, Mohammad Saleem, was a wholesale vegetable vendor and a resident of Jama Masjid area in Bichu Beedi. He owned a vegetable shop at the main vegetable market of Mewari Gate.
On the day of the murder, Saleem along with his son had gone to the market and parked his bike in front of their shop, when suddenly, a van, owned by a Suraj Marothia, hit their bike.
Shahbaz, a neighbour of Saleem, who was present at the spot said that Suraj started hurling abuses at the vegetable vendor.
“Why are Mullahs (a slur used against Muslims) here at the market? You have no work here. Your status is so low that all Mullahs will get wiped out if we urinate. We’ll stop the entry of Mullahs in the market” Shahbaz told Maktoob, who was a witness to Suraj’s threats.
He added, “Suraj Marothia, Shankar Bhati, Dharma Bhati, Jai alias Tony Bhati, Sunil Bhati, Shankar Panwar, Rakesh GRD, were present there and attacked Saleem with iron pipes and wooden sticks. They even hit him with a beam scale.”
Saleem sustained serious head injuries and as a result, fell unconscious. He was taken to the Amrit Kaur hospital but doctors pronounced him dead.
Following his death, the Beawar city police registered a case under sections 147 (Punishment for rioting), 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint), 153-A (deals with the offence of promoting disharmony, enmity, or feelings of hatred between different groups on the grounds of religion, race, etc) and 302 (Punishment for murder) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) against seven accused identified as Suraj Marothia, Shankar Bhati, Dharma Bhati, Jai Bhati, Sunil Bhati, Shankar Pawar, and Rakesh.
However, the Station Head Officer (SHO) Sanjay said that there was no statement of communal violence registered.
“Two vegetable vendors in the market got into an argument which later turned into a fight resulting in the death of one person. We have registered a case in the matter and have arrested three accused persons and the investigation is going on,” Maktoob quoted Sanjay.
The Congress-ruled state of Rajasthan has been witnessing anti-Muslim violence for quite some time. Section 144 has been imposed in many districts in the state. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has also called for peace and harmony in the state.
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