‘BJP goons’ killed Qasim in Pilkhuwa, says brother at Delhi protest

Cattle trader Qasim Qureshi, who was lynched in Bajhera gaon near Pilkhuwa in Uttar Pradesh’s Hapur district earlier this week, was "brutally killed by BJP goons as he belonged to the Muslim community" and “dragged like a dead animal in presence of police”, his younger brother alleged at a press meet in Delhi on Friday, June 22.

"My brother screamed in pain for water, but the mob refused him saying he is a Muslim and butcher. He was dragged like a dead animal in front of police," said Mohammed Nadeem.

Qasim was allegedly beaten to death and farmer Mohammed Samiyuddin was critically injured by a mob over alleged rumours of cow slaughter at Bajhera Khurd village in Hapur.

Nadheem said that around 11 am on Monday, June 18, his brother received a call from someone to purchase the cattle. "He left to make a deal but never came back home." "I received a call saying your brother was lynched by a mob and was taken to the police station. When we reached the police station, they said he was taken to hospital. He was lying dead in the hospital," said Nadeem.

The press meet was organised by a fact-finding team of United Against Hate, comprising of activists Nadeem Khan, Shariq Hussain and advocate Mushfiq and Shibli from the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) which visited the villages of the victims and met their family members.

The team were told that Qasim was a cattle trader, purchased buffalos and lambs from nearby villages and sold them at a local animal market called Paith. Meanwhile, 67-year-old Samiyuddin, was allegedly thrashed and critically injured by the mob when he intervened and tried to pacify the attackers, and later admitted in private hospital.

Samiyuddin's brother Mohammed Mehruddin said: "Police confused us for six hours in order so we can't meet him. But finally we found him in private hospital lying unconscious on bed with his right hand thumb having blue colour impression." "We don't know, what police have used this thumb impression for," he added.

The fact-finding team said in a statement that before the lynching, an announcement was made from the nearby temple allegedly asking people to gather there, as cow killers had been caught red-handed, "which is a repeat of the modus operandi adopted in the Dadri incident where Akhlaq was lynched to death for allegedly consuming beef. Police however, say that they are not aware of any such announcement".

Protest in Delhi against growing incidents of lynching

Later relatives of Qasim and Samiyuddin attended a citizen's protest which saw participation by students' organisations, women’s groups and individuals, at Delhi's central Parliament Street.

"I have come to Delhi for justice for my brother," said Nadeem at the protest, alleging that, "Despite clear video footage which says 'kill them, they are cow traders', the police is saying it was road accident."

Speakers at the protest said incidents of mob lynching of minorities have multiplied after Narendra Modi came to power in 2014. One student leader said "[RSS publication] Organiser reminded us that Modi is the one who started talking about 'Pink Revolution'' to polarise people, adding that "zeher ka packet desh ki phizaon mein ghol diya gaya hai (poison has been injected into the atmosphere in the country).

A women's rights activist warned people who remain silent that, "Today it is Muslims and Dalits but once such people get a taste of blood, they will not leave you either.”

With IANS inputs.