CPI delegation visits families of victims abducted and killed by cow vigilantes in Rajasthan

Rajasthan— A delegation of the Communist Party of India visited Ghatmika village in the Mewati area of Rajasthan on Friday. The delegation met the families of Junaid and Nasir, who were allegedly abducted and killed by cow vigilantes and alleged criminals from the Bajrang Dal on the border of Rajasthan and Haryana. The criminals brutally thrashed the victims before burning them alive. The delegation consisted of Com. Brinda Karat, Com. Amra Ram, Com. Secretariat Member, and State Committee Member, as well as Advocate Shabbir Khan.

According to the family, Junaid left Ghatmika in the evening of February 15th with his cousin Nasir to meet the family of the boy he was hoping to fix the marriage of his brother's daughter with. Junaid was a father of six children and had a shop that had to be closed during Covid, after which he worked as a daily wage laborer and agricultural laborer. The delegation met with Junaid's widow, Shajida, and his sister-in-law and their children. Nasir was a truck driver, and his murder left his dependents desperate and devastated, who are in need of immediate help.

The CPI(M) delegation inquired about the charges against Junaid of "cow smuggling." They found that these cases, along with cases against several others in nearby villages, were registered during the earlier BJP rule. Since there was no evidence whatsoever, Junaid was never arrested, and none of the charges have been proved even after all these years. In fact, these were false cases filed in retaliation by the former BJP government to justify incidents of violence against cattle herders and traders by cow protection gangs.

Ghatmika village, with a predominantly Muslim population, has been a target of so-called cow vigilantes. In November 2017, cattle trader Umar Khan, a resident of this village, was shot dead by cow vigilantes during the previous BJP government in Rajasthan. This is a few months after the brutal murder of dairy farmer Pehlu Khan. The CPI(M) condemned the brutal killings, which must also be attributed to the criminal activities of the so-called cow vigilante gangs, which have been patronized by the policy of the Haryana government and the police, the leaders said in a press release.