Muslim man beaten to death over suspected theft in Uttar Pradesh
In Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli, a Muslim man named Firoz Qureshi was beaten to death by a mob after being accused of theft. The family denied the allegations and accused two Hindu men, Pinky and Pankaj Rajendra, of leading the assault.
“He was beaten with bamboo sticks and cast iron weights. We demand justice for his innocent life,” his brother Afzal said.
Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a third term after India’s general elections, there has been a surge in anti-Muslim violence in north and eastern India. This is the 12th lynching since June 4 and the eighth lynching of a Muslim man.
Muslim man dies after tied and beaten over theft suspicion in West Bengal
A 50-year-old Muslim man, Azgar Molla, was beaten to death over suspicion of theft in West Bengal’s Bhangar. Molla was tied up and beaten unconscious. He in the hospital soon after.
Hindu militants assault Muslim truck drivers over cattle transport
In Chhindwara, Madha Pradesh, Hindu militant cow vigilantes from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal assaulted two Muslim truck drivers, Shakir and Zubair Khan for transporting cattle. Instead of taking action against assailants, police have filed cases against the victims.
Hindu militant mobs regularly attack Muslims over baseless accusations of committing crimes. These mobs, also known as cow vigilantes, assault and often lynch Muslims accused of transporting cattle or consuming beef.
Five Muslims, including journalists, booked for post about lynching in Uttar Pradesh
The Uttar Pradesh police booked two Muslim journalists, Zakir Ali Tyagi and Wasim Akram Tyagi, and three others for alleging on social media that a Muslim man had been lynched by a mob in the state’s Shamli district.
The police action comes as the killing of a Muslim man, Firoz, triggered outrage on social media. The police have denied allegations of lynching and claimed that Firoz did not die due to assault.
Hindu militants barge into house, assault Christians In Rajasthan
In Rajasthan’s Bharatpur, a Hindu mob led by a member of the militant group Vishwa Hindu Parishad barged into a house and assaulted a group of Christians during a prayer meeting over allegations of forced religious conversion. A man was injured and a woman’s clothes were torn.
Earlier this month in Mumbai, a BJP leader barged into a Christian prayer meeting and abused the participants over similar allegations.
UN committee urges India to end Rohingya discrimination and forced deportations
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) urged India to cease the arbitrary detention of Rohingya Muslim refugees, as well as to halt forcible deportations and returns to Myanmar, where the Rohingya face the risk of severe human rights violations and abuses.
The Committee expressed alarm at reports of widespread racist hate speech and harmful stereotypes against the Rohingya, including by politicians and public figures.