Bhiwani lynching: Murder charge not included in the FIR, CPI(M) accuses Khattar govt of being complicit

Two days after two Muslim men, Junaid and Nasir, were allegedly burnt alive by gau rakshaks or 'cow vigilantes' in Haryana’s Bhiwani, a fact-finding team led by CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat met families of the victims and demanded compensation of Rs 50 to the kin.

The CPI(M) accused Khattar government and Haryana police of being complicit in providing patronage to gau rakshaks. Sharing findings with the media, the CPI(M) leaders claimed that the murder charge has not been included in the FIR yet.

“The FIR filed is on the charge of kidnapping and the charge of murder is yet to be included. Those named in the FIR include the notorious Mohit Yadav known as Manu Maneswar who operates with impunity in the region with the approval of the BJP government in Haryana. The burnt car and bodies were found in village Barvas, Loharu in the Bhiwani district of Haryana,” said the CPI(M).

“The Haryana police which has been complicit in providing patronage to the activities of the gau rakshaks, is to be involved with the investigation. Only one of the accused has been arrested,” reads the release issued by the Communist Party.

Debunking “the manufactured narrative that dairy farmers and cattle traders who belong to the Muslim community are actually not dairy farmers but cow slaughterers” the CPI(M) leaders asked both the Rajasthan government and the Haryana government to take action against the gau rakshaks.

“The policy and patronage of the Haryana government and police in protecting the criminal activities of the so-called gau rakshak gangs must be held responsible. The Rajasthan government must also immediately probe the role of the Rajasthan police in this case,” the CPI(M) said.

Nasir (25) and Junaid alias Juna (35), both residents of Ghatmeeka village of Pahari tehsil in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, were allegedly abducted on Wednesday and their bodies were found in the charred car in Loharu in Bhiwani on Thursday morning, according to the police. Police said they were alerted by a villager about a burnt car.