A recent case of mob lynching has surfaced in Alwar city, Rajasthan, where a 20-year-old Muslim youth named Vakeel Mohammad lost his life on Tuesday night at SMS Hospital in Jaipur. The youth had sustained severe head injuries as a result of the assault. Currently, the body of the deceased is being held in the mortuary of SMS Hospital in Jaipur, awaiting a post-mortem examination scheduled to be carried out by the Tijara police station on Wednesday morning.
The incident unfolded on the night of September 8th when Mohammad, a 20-year-old Muslim youth, was returning home on his bike after working at a wood workshop. He was suddenly ambushed by a group of 6-7 individuals, including Lokesh, Sunil, and Anil, who assaulted him with sticks.
It was reported that the attackers explicitly mentioned seeking revenge for a previous assault. Mohammad was severely beaten and left for dead. Passersby later discovered him and rushed him to Purushottam Saini’s farmhouse, from where he was transferred to a hospital in Tijara.
Due to the gravity of his injuries, he was referred to Alwar and, finally, SMS Hospital in Jaipur, where he lost his life during treatment.
The roots of this incident trace back to August 27th when a dispute erupted between youth from the Gurjar and SC communities and those from the Meo community. Manoj and his nephew Deepak, along with Virmati and Sunil, sustained injuries in the altercation.
Manoj Kumar, who was involved in the altercation, reported that a group of individuals confronted them, and the situation quickly escalated into violence. It was alleged that Mohammad and his friends, armed with sharp weapons, attacked Manoj’s group, resulting in serious injuries. In response, the police had arrested five individuals from the Muslim community on charges of assault and SC-ST.
Bhiwadi Superintendent of Police, Karan Sharma, said there were tensions between the two communities.
“On August 27th, there was a confrontation between Gurjar and SC/ST community youths and Mev community youths. During the altercation, Manoj and his nephew Deepak, Virmati, and Sunil were injured. In this regard, a report was filed by Manoj Kumar, stating that on the morning of the 27th, he and his nephew were on their way when they were confronted by a youth named Satyam, who asked them where they were going with Bajrang Dal. When he objected, 8-9 of Satyam’s associates arrived and assaulted him. During the assault by Muslim individuals, his jaw was broken, and he retaliated with a sharp weapon. He was seriously injured in the attack,” Sharma told media.
“After the incident was reported, the police arrested 5 individuals from the Muslim community on charges of assault and under SC/ST Act.,” he said.
Sharma stated that while arrests were made initially, the situation had not yet been resolved, leading to further violence.
Family members and members of the Muslim community, grief-stricken and outraged by the incident, have issued strong demands for justice. They have refused to accept Mohammad’s body unless the accused individuals responsible for the assault and murder are apprehended by Wednesday morning. The family members and community leaders have threatened to organize a public agitation if the accused are not promptly arrested.
The Muslim community leader, Sher Mohammed, accused the Hindu side of not upholding an earlier reconciliation agreement reached on August 30th.
“There was a clash between two factions, leading to violence. Following this incident, the police arrested five individuals. However, on August 30th, a meeting was held with Purushottam Saini, a right-wing Hindu leader, where the Meo community offered an apology,” he said while talking to The Observer Post.
Sher Mohammad stated that they (the Hindu group) would still talk about seeking retribution.
“These people hold a Sanghi mindset. Purushottam had previously called for the gathering of a group of Hindu men in pursuit of retribution. However, we talked to him and clarified that the altercation had occurred between these young men, devoid of any religious undertones,” he said.
He told the police administration that if the arrests of the accused were not made by morning, the Muslim community would initiate a protest and refuse to accept the deceased body. For this purpose, he is leaving for Jaipur along with members of the Muslim community.
This marks the second incident of mob lynching in Alwar within the span of a month. In a recent incident, a group of three Muslim youths, who had arrived to gather firewood in Bansur, Alwar, were subjected to an assault by a mob, resulting in the death of one young man.
