The year 2018 is coming to end but the chilling run of lynch mobs continues.
Over the last four years, incidents of mob lynching are on the rise. Initially, innocent Muslims on mere suspicion was the main target of the organized gangs of so-called cow vigilantes or Gau Rakshaks but slowly it becomes endemic in nature and others too started facing the music of the lynch mobs.
Not only the year 2018 saw the lynching of alleged cow smugglers but also the bulk of ‘horrendous acts of mobocracy’ have been triggered by viral rumours of child-lifters.
Here are some of the incidents of mob lynching this year:
December:
The UP police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and youth became the latest victim of lynching by a frenzied mob in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr after violence occurred over the finding of cow carcasses.
Incidentally, Singh was also the Investigating Officer (IO) in the Mohammed Akhlaq lynching case from Sept 28, 2015, till Nov 9, 2015, in Dadri which hit headlines.
Courtesy: MilliChronicle
October:
80-year-old Zainul Ansari, who was reportedly returning from his daughter’s house, was targeted by a group that was denied entry through a Muslim-dominated area in Bihar’s Sitamarhi during a Durga Puja procession. Ansari was then dragged and beaten by the mob and then burnt alive – pictures and videos of which went viral since. Six FIRs have been filed, and so far 38 persons have been arrested.
September:
Mohammed Farooque Ahmad, from Bangalore, was beaten to death by a mob on 14 September, on suspicion of vehicle theft, in Manipur’s Tharoijam area.
Also in September, 22-year-old Azhar Khan was beaten to death in Chittorgarh’s Kheri village of Rajasthan allegedly for fishing near a temple on the banks of Ruparel River. Even after an FIR was registered on the same day, no arrests have been made.
August:
The month of August also saw lynching by an unruly mob.
Also, the house of Shoukeen and Yameen Khokhar belonging to a Muslim family in Rohtak’s Titoli village of Haryana was vandalised accusing them of beating a calf to death to be slaughtered later on the occasion of Eid-ul-Zuha.
No complaint was received by the police in connection with the attack on the house of the accused.
July:
In the month of July alone, 29 people have been lynched by bloodthirsty mobs on suspicion of child lifters or cow smugglers. The victims were assaulted with no evidence of child lifting was found later. There are also people who were killed on suspicions of robbery.
A 40-year-old man named Mohammad Riyaz was the one who was beaten to death by a mob on suspicions of robbery. Also, no FIR has been registered in the matter.
Mohammad Azam, a 32-year-old software engineer from Bidar of Karnataka was beaten to death and four others seriously injured over WhatsApp-driven rumours of child kidnapping after they were spotted distributing sweets to children.
32 people arrested including the administrator of the Whatsapp group which spread the rumours of child-lifters.
28-year-old Rakbar Khan, also known as Akbar was beaten to death at Alwar in Rajasthan on suspicion of cow smuggling.
5 lynched in Maharashtra’s Dhule district and 3 lynched to death in Tripura in a single day, including a man hired by the government to go around dispelling rumours.
June:
38-year-old Mohammad Qasim in Hapur district of UP succumbed to his injuries after attacked by a frenzied mob that accused them of cow theft and slaughter. 65-year-old Shamiuddin as grievously injured.
Two Muslim men Sirajuddin Ansari and Murtuza Ansari from Godda of Jharkhand were allegedly lynched by a group of enraged villagers on suspicion of cattle theft.
Jharkhand police have arrested 4 in connection with the case.
Sukanta Chakrabarty, a 33-year-old man hired by the Tripura Information and Culture department to spread awareness against rumour-mongering was lynched on the suspicion of being child-lifters.
40-year-old beggar woman killed on the suspicion of being a child lifter in Ahmedabad, Gujarat and 45-year-old woman was assaulted on suspicion of being a child-lifter in Surat.
2 lynched in Aurangabad and two in Assam in a single day.
May:
A mob beat transgender to death in Andhra Pradesh. A mob lynched 6 in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in separate incidents.
Chandriah, a 52-year old beggar from Chandrayangutta, Hyderabad was allegedly beaten to death and three others were injured after a mob attacked them suspecting them to be members of a child kidnapping gang following rumours on social media.
Mob killed 2 in Tamil Nadu.
March:
Neeraj Jatav, a teenaged Dalit boy from Alwar district of Rajasthan was allegedly beaten to death while playing Holi in Bhiwadi village of Rajasthan’s Alwar district. Police said the deceased was playing Holi with others when the attack took place. The dispute arose over applying colour.
4 lakh Compensation was given to the families and no arrests were made.
February:
Madhu Chindaki, a 30-year-old tribal man in Palakkad, Kerala was beaten to death on suspicions of theft. The attackers took selfies with the victim before killing him. Charges of murder brought against 16 accused under the SC/ST act.