A video is circulating showing policemen injured after being attacked by a vigilante mob that wanted custody of a rape and murder accused in Jalgaon district, Maharashtra. However, upon investigation, The Observer Post found that the rape and murder accused, arrested by Jalgaon Police, is identified as Subhash Bhil, not Hafiz Beg, as falsely claimed on social media.
The video is purportedly being shared by right-wing Hindutva Portals with false communal claims that the accused is a Muslim.
The Jalgaon Collector’s Office also confirmed that the accused and the victim belong to the same caste and community.
The viral video featuring the injured police officers was posted on X by Amitabh Chaudhary (@MithilaWaala) with the caption, “In Jalgaon district of Maharashtra, Hafiz Beg (35) raped and killed a 6-year-old girl. Nearly a dozen policemen were injured after stones were pelted by people demanding the custody of the rapist-killer.”
For those unversed with the matter, approximately 10 days ago, a six-year-old girl from the Bhil community, a Scheduled Tribe (ST), was raped and murdered in a village in Jalgaon district. The accused, identified as Subhash Bhil (35), also found to be the victim’s neighbour was arrested from Bhusawal on Thursday afternoon, according to officials.
News of his arrest spread in nearby villages, and a mob began gathering outside Jamner Police Station on Thursday evening. The accused was in police custody at the Jalgaon district headquarters. However, the crowd swelled to over 700-800 people.
“The situation at the Jamner Police Station was chaotic and tense,” said an officer, adding, “The enraged crowd gathered outside, shouting slogans. Before long, stones began to be hurled at us. We quickly secured the gate and took shelter inside. The aftermath resembled a mini battlefield, with the mob pushed back and injured officers being taken to the hospital by ambulances.”
“We tried to reason with the gathered individuals, explaining that the law would take its course, but they refused to listen,” said Ashok Nakhate, additional superintendent of police in Jalgaon. “Seven or eight of our officers were injured. We have obtained visuals and other details of those involved in the incident.”
Jamner, a city in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra has a tribal population of approximately 40,000.
Speaking on “X” (formerly Twitter), Girish Mahajan, the minister of rural development for Maharashtra and a Jamner MLA, said, “The outcry and anger witnessed in Jamner on June 11 night is justified.”
“The brutality of the murder should infuriate any decent citizen. Like all of you, I’m furious and distressed about this unfortunate incident. I do, however, kindly ask that everyone keep their emotions in check. Nobody has the right to enforce the law on their own.”
