Muslim kin alleges mob attack in Madhya Pradesh, police say no communal angle - Hindustan Times
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Muslim kin alleges mob attack in Madhya Pradesh, police say no communal angle

By, Hindustan Times, Bhopal
Oct 11, 2021 03:22 AM IST

Two first information reports were filed on Sunday against both groups for rioting and voluntarily causing hurt. Police are yet to arrest anyone and the injured were admitted to MY Hospital Indore.

A Muslim family of blacksmiths in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, alleged that five of its members were thrashed by a mob on Saturday shouting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans who wanted them to leave their village. Police, however, called it a clash that happened after the family couldn’t deliver an order for a trolley on time and refused to return money paid as advance.

The police, however, refuted the allegations and said it was a group clash and nobody received any grievous injuries.(Representative image)
The police, however, refuted the allegations and said it was a group clash and nobody received any grievous injuries.(Representative image)

Two first information reports were filed on Sunday against both groups for rioting and voluntarily causing hurt. Police are yet to arrest anyone and the injured were admitted to MY Hospital Indore.

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The Muslim family claimed that some locals in Kampel village had been threatening them for a month and telling them to leave as they didn’t want to see Muslims in the village. “When we didn’t leave, scores of people attacked us on Saturday night with iron rods and canes,” said Shahrukh Lohar.

He said they are blacksmiths who keep moving from one place to another. “Two years ago, we came to this village from the Neemar region of MP to work as ironsmiths. We make agricultural equipment and trolleys,” Lohar said.

He said when a few villagers told the family to leave, they discussed the matter with the sarpanch and others in the village. “They asked us not to pay attention on their threats. On Saturday, a group of people from a neighbouring village came in large numbers and attacked on us with iron rods and canes. They injured my father, Farukh Lohar,” said Lohar, adding that his sister Fouzia, uncle Firoz and mother Shabnam were also thrashed.

Shahrukh’s sister Fouzia said, “They came in large numbers and started shouting slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and abusing us. Before we could react, they started beating my father. My father was already upset about burglars stealing 80,000 from our house a month ago and wanted to leave. But Saturday night’s incident shook us badly.”

The family also accused the police of not supporting them and said they registered an FIR only after a local advocate named Ehtesham Hashmi intervened. “We had to wait for at least three hours at Kampel outpost to register the case. Instead of taking swift action against the accused, the police personnel were trying to present the matter as a normal group clash,” Hashmi said.

The police, however, refuted the allegations and said it was a group clash and nobody received any grievous injuries.

Indore (west) superintendent of police MC Jain said, “Farukh Lohar had taken 75,000 in advance from a villager Vikas Patel to make a trolley, but didn’t complete the order. Patel was asking Lohar to return the money, and on Saturday night, Patel along with eight others went to Lohar’s home for money. When he refused to pay, Patel attacked Lohar with an iron rod.”

Jain added that Patel and others used rods and canes present at Lohar’s house as weapons so it’s clear that it was not a pre-planned attack. “The Lohar family didn’t register any complaint about being threatened and burgled earlier,” the SP said, adding that some people have been trying to give the incident a communal twist and they will be acted against soon.

The first FIR was registered against Vikas Patel and eight others under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 294 (using obscene language), 506 (criminal intimidation), 427 (mischief), 147 (rioting), and 148 (rioting with armed deadly weapon) of the Indian Penal Code while another FIR under the same IPC sections was registered against Lohar and five others, including two women.

Heavy police force has been deployed in the village to avoid any untoward incident.

When contacted, Kampel village sarpanch Prakash Bagwan accused the Muslim family of lying about contacting him or any other villager. “They didn’t inform me about any threat. It was a matter of money,” he said.

But Bagwan said Vikas Patel was associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which held a meeting in the village two months ago. “As I didn’t attend the meeting, I am not aware of the agenda,” he added.

The incident, however, received some political attention with All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president Asaduddin Owaisi condemning it. In a tweet, he said, “Sir Shivraj Singh Chouhan and DGP MP will you arrest these radicalized goons, will your government discharge your constitutional duty?”

MP Congress spokesperson Aminul Khan Suri accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government of allowing people to spoil the environment of the Malwa region. “The communal clashes and discrimination against minorities have increased manifold. The family was being harassed for a long time, but they didn’t report to the police because they knew that the police won’t support them. That is why even today, they termed the incident as clash not discrimination,” Suri said.

However, water resources minister and local BJP MLA Tulsi Silawat said an inquiry has been ordered and nobody will be spared if what the Muslims have said is true. “Communal clashes have increased because people are being misguided for political advantage. We have arrested some and also sent notices to some others for creating unrest among people by circulating fake messages,” Silawat said.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    She is a senior reporter based at Bhopal. She covers higher education, social issues, youth affairs, woman and child development related issues, sports and business & industries.

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