HAPUR: Two days after a 38-year-old man, Qasim, and his co-villager Samiuddin was critically injured in Uttar Pradesh’s Hapur district, the relatives while addressing a press conference said on Friday that their families were living in an “atmosphere of fear”.
Qasim, a cattle trader by profession, was allegedly lynched by a Hindutva mob on suspicion of cow slaughter on Wednesday while 65-year-old Mohammad Samiuddin, a farmer suffered severe injuries in the incident.
Speaking to reporters at the Press Club of India, Samiuddin’s younger brother Mehruddin said, the police did not register an FIR the way they wanted. He also alleged that when we reached Devnandini hospital to see his brother:
“we found ink on his thumb. It seemed someone took his thumb impression on some paper. When I asked Samiuddin about this, he said he didn’t know about the impression,” Mahruddin told media, reported Caravan Daily.
“There is not a single part of the body where he did not sustain injuries. His health is still very critical,” he said.
“The criminals in such incidents are not hiding themselves, they committed crime and made a video of it and shared it too on social media,” Mahruddin said helplessly.
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Qasim’s younger brother Mohammad Nadeem said the victim’s killing was on account of his religious beliefs. “He (Qasim) was thrashed brutally and mercilessly and was killed because of his religion,” Qasim told.
He added that the incident was pre-planned and allegation of cow slaughtering leveled on Qasim was false and baseless, as the latter did not have any enmity with anyone, and used to visit the village only for selling cattle.
Qasim was the sole breadwinner for his family of seven — wife and six children. Earlier in the day, a photograph of him being dragged by the mob with three policemen in the frame went viral.
After facing heavy criticism for the picture, the Uttar Pradesh Police issued a clarification and apologised for the same.