Samastipur incident was a criminal act, says JD(U) spokesperson; Cong. to raise issue in State Assembly

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has not yet spoken on the killing of Mohammed Khalil Alam, a local leader of his party

Days after a video showing the lynching of local Janata Dal(U) leader, Mohammed Khalil Alam, 35, in Samastipur district went viral on social media on February 21, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is yet to react to the shocking incident. The Muslim youth was beaten up allegedly for eating beef. His charred body was found in a ditch on the banks of the Budhi Gandak river on February 18.

Alam was beaten up, allegedly for eating beef. Later, his charred body was found in a ditch on the banks of the Budhi Gandak river on February 18. The video showed Alam being beaten up with sticks by some people who were not visible. Alam is seen being asked if he had eaten beef, and who sold beef in the Musrigharari area of Samastipur district.

The Opposition Congress party said it would raise the issue in the Budget session of the State Assembly, scheduled from Friday. Opposition parties have slammed the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government for the collapsed law and order in the State but there was no voice from the ruling JD(U) condemning the incident.

JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar, though, said maintaining law and order has been the USP of the Nitish Kumar government and it was a “criminal incident and blind case acted upon by the District Police which revealed the real cause of the incident”. Speaking to Th e Hindu, Samastipur Superintendent of Police Hriday Kant had on February 23 ruled out any “communal angle” to the incident and said the video was shot and turned viral on social media to “foment social tension in society and also to divert police attention from the incident”. Mr. Kant had also added that the incident had happened for “money”.

Meanwhile, State Congress leader and party MLA Shakeel Ahmad Khan on Thursday visited Mohammed Khalil Alam’s bereaved family and demanded justice for them. “I’ll raise this issue during the Budget session of the State Assembly. No less than the Chief Minister should issue a statement against growing hatred in the State,” Mr. Khan said. He also added that the video was an example of the hatred angle to the incident.

A group of Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-M-L) leaders, too, visited the family on February 23 and demanded a “judicial probe” into the incident. “Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has failed to save a Muslim leader of his party from mob lynching,” said CPI(M-L) leader and party MLA Mahboob Alam. He said that his party would take a nyay (justice) march on February 28 in protest against the incident. Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Shivanand Tiwari said, “The brutal murder and the video circulated on social media is a reflection of growing hatred against a particular community in society”.

In August 2007, too, seven Muslim men were beaten up by a mob in West Champaran district on the rumour that they had eaten beef. Similarly, in the year 2020, Muslim men involved in cattle trading were killed in Jamui district, allegedly for the same reason.