Haryana Government should stop patronage of ‘ gau rakshaks’: CPI(M)

The party strongly condemned the brutal murders of Junaid and Naseer, who were allegedly kidnapped, beaten, and burnt alive by a Bajrang Dal gau rakshak gang operating on the Haryana-Rajasthan border

The Haryana Government should be held accountable for the patronage it extends to the so-called “ gau rakshak” gangs, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said in a statement here, strongly condemning the brutal murders of Junaid and Naseer, who were allegedly kidnapped, beaten, and burnt alive by a Bajrang Dal gau rakshak gang operating on the Haryana-Rajasthan border.

A delegation of CPI(M) leaders led by Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat, the party’s Rajasthan State Committee secretary Amra Ram, and others, visited the victims’ village, Ghatmika, and met their families.

A statement released by the party after the visit said that cases had been filed against Junaid on charges of “cow smuggling” during the earlier BJP regime, along with cases against many others in surrounding villages. “Since there was no evidence of any kind, Junaid was never arrested nor have any of the charges been proved even after all these years,” the statement said. The party further added that the cases had been filed based on a “manufactured narrative” that dairy farmers and cattle traders belonging to the Muslim community were in fact cow slaughterers.

Ghatmika, with a predominantly Muslim population, is situated in the Mewati region. The village has been targeted gau rakshaks, the party noted. There have been prior incidents of such targeted killings in the village. In November 2017, Umar Khan, a cattle trader from the village, was shot dead.

“The FIR (First Information Report) filed is on the charge of kidnapping and the charge of murder is yet to be included,” Ms. Karat pointed out.

The charred remains of the victims were found in Bhiwani district of Haryana. So far, only one accused person has been arrested.

“It is essential for the Rajasthan Government to act firmly, more so since the initial crime of kidnapping took place in Rajasthan. The criminals named must be arrested without delay. Compensation of fifty lakh rupees, as given by the government in the earlier communal murder of Kanhaiya Lal, should be given to the families of the victims along with employment assistance,” Ms. Karat said.