Hindutva murderer’s arrest leads to mob violence and financial donations

News Analysis |

Internet services continue to remain suspended in Rajsamand after mobs defied prohibitory orders on Thursday, and several people including 12 cops were injured in the rampage in protest against the arrest of killer Shambulal Raigar. Raigar also found support in the form of donations which highlights that the militant Hindutva base in India is getting stronger.

It has come to light that the situation continues to remain tense in Rajsamand and Udaipur, with police resorting to lathi charge to control the situation. At least 175 people have been arrested and several others detained for causing destruction and violating prohibitory orders.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, the party that rules all the northern states except Punjab and Delhi. In fact, there has been a conscious attempt to divorce Islam and Muslims from the national ethos.

Media reports indicated that select Hindutva groups went berserk and forcibly closed down shops, created chaos on the roads, pelted stones and burnt tyres, bringing normal life to a standstill. To control the situation, additional police forces had to be deployed.

Describing the scene, the police said that youths sporting saffron bandanas, raised slogans, climbed buildings and pelted people with stones. Despite the suspension of internet services, the authorities could not completely avoid the mob violence observed in parts of the city.

More than 700 people from across India donated a combined 300,000 rupees ($4,665) into the killer’s bank account after the video went viral on social media. “The accused wanted to become a Hindu hero after killing a Muslim man, his main aim was to collect money after committing the hate crime,” Shrivastava said.

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The video also showed Regar claiming to be a proud Hindu who was trying to stop a ‘Love Jihad’ from taking place – a term used by Hindu hardliners who accuse Muslim men of entrapping Hindu women and girls on the pretext of love, in order to convert them to Islam. The authorities have frozen his bank account and are working to track down donors.

Mohammand Afrazul from West Bengal was hacked and burnt to death in Rajsamand by Shabhu Lal Raigar, who was seen ranting against ‘Love Jihad’ in a video that was shot and uploaded on the internet by his minor nephew.

Mohammand Afrazul from West Bengal was hacked and burnt to death in Rajsamand by Shabhu Lal Raigar, who was seen ranting against ‘Love Jihad’ in a video that was shot and uploaded on the internet by his minor nephew. Raigar later told reporters that he killed Afrazul to rescue a Hindu girl who had eloped with the laborer. However, police investigation revealed that Afrazul had not connection with the incident.

The police say their inquiries reveal that Raigar, a father of three, was obsessed with watching hate videos on his phone and was part of rabid groups. The murder, which occurred last week in the western state of Rajasthan, is the latest act of violence against minority Muslims in the country. Muslims have faced attacks by mobs known as “cow vigilantes” who accuse them of murdering cows, which Hindus consider sacred.

In June, the leader of an Indian nationalist Hindu organization stated that those who eat beef should be hanged in public. In May, a mob brutally attacked two men who were suspected of attempting to steal cows for slaughter. They died from their injuries.

It has come to light that the situation continues to remain tense in Rajsamand and Udaipur, with police resorting to lathi charge to control the situation. At least 175 people have been arrested.

In April, Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Indian authorities to prosecute those who violently prevent cattle from being slaughtered, noting that Muslims are often targets of attacks. “The government should condemn this violence and take prompt action against those responsible for these attacks or face allegations of complicity,” HRW’s South Asia Director Meenakshi Ganguly said at the time.

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With the rise of the Hindutva fundamentalist BJP to power in 2014, Hindutva militants have become prominent in most parts of India. These brutal militants have enacted savage murders of mainly Muslims on various reasons such as “Gau Raksha” (Cow protection) and ‘Love Jihad’. The lynching of minorities in north India has been marked by silence from the Bharatiya Janata Party, the party that rules all the northern states except Punjab and Delhi. In fact, there has been a conscious attempt to divorce Islam and Muslims from the national ethos.

It is through such perception management that often Hindutva militants get away with horrific atrocities and eventually are hailed as “guardians” of Indian Hindus.