Kin Say Four Muslim Men Who Died In West Bengal Jail Over 10 Days Were Tortured To Death
The families of four Muslim men who died in a West Bengal jail over the past 10 days have demanded a probe into their deaths, saying that the men were brutally assaulted and tortured to death.
The bodies of the victims – Abdul Rajjak, Jiyaul Laskar, Akbar Khan, and Saidul Munsi – bear marks of torture, the families have reported.
“Three or four days before [Laskar’s] death, he met my sister-in-law. He was crying during the short meeting and said that he was being assaulted. If the police say that my brother did drugs, I will accept it. But does that mean they should hit him like that? His body has bruises and injuries,” said Sabera Bibi, Laskar’s older sister.
“They beat [Munsi] up so badly and so often that he died. We don’t know who killed him, but he died while he was in jail. If you had seen his face, you would have broken down as well,” said Salma, Munsi’s older sister.
Police have denied any wrongdoing, calling the short time between the deaths “a coincidence.” However, civil society leaders have raised concerns about the deaths and the lack of government reaction.
“Every political party in Bengal rightly spoke about the custodial death of a boy in Kolkata. However, four men from the minority community booked in similar cases and lodged in the Baruipur jail died one after the other in just one week. Yet no party has raised this issue,” Ranjit Sur, general secretary of the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR), an India-based civil rights group.
“It is very alarming. We think there should be an independent judicial enquiry into these cases… The treatment of Dalits and Muslims is particularly concerning,” he added.
The government of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a probe will be carried out by the state’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Hindu Extremists Stab 2 Muslim Youths, Critically Wounding One, During Muslim Religious Procession Of Muharram In Karnataka
Hindu extremists stabbed two Muslim youth who were taking part in a religious procession to mark the Islamic month of Muharram in Karnataka state. The victims, Toufeeq Hosamani (23) and Mustaq Hosamani (24), were stabbed in the chest, abdomen, and legs. Toufeeq is reportedly in critical condition.
The extremists, Somesh Gudi and Yallappa Gudi, who stabbed the Muslims, were taken into custody. One of the accused is a member of the Hindu supremacist group Sri Ram Sena.
The police have claimed the stabbing was motivated by a personal rivalry.
Karnataka is currently witnessing a string of Hindu extremist lynchings of Muslim men. Last month, two Muslim youth were lynched: 23-year-old Mohammad Fazil was ambushed by masked assailants, beaten, and hacked to death, while 19-year-old Mohammad Mashood was beaten to death. Both murders happened within days of each other.
Hindu Extremist Leader Threatens To Destroy Historic Idgah Tower Monument In Karnataka
A Hindu extremist leader, Bhaskaran, threatened to destroy the historic Muslim-constructed Idgah tower in Karnataka’s Bengaluru city, leading police to register a report against him for raising communal tensions.
Bhaskaran has threatened that Hindus will demolish the Idgah tower “on the lines of Babri Masjid,” a centuries-old mosque that was destroyed by a Hindu supremacist mob in 1992.
State authorities recently declared that a plot of land known as Idgah Maidan in Bengaluru belongs to the government’s Revenue Department, despite the fact that it has been under the care of a Muslim organisation known as the Waqf board since the 1850s.
The declaration was celebrated by Hindu supremacists, who now claim that the property’s Idgah tower should be destroyed so that Hindus can hold religious festivals there. The land has been used to host Eid gatherings for Muslims every year.
Bhaskaran threatened that if the government does not demolish the Idgah tower by December, Hindu supremacists from across India will gather to demolish the monument.
