– Arshad Shaikh
Rahuri, Ahmednagar: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Maharashtra has condemned the beating of Dalit youth in Haregaon village, Shrirampur, Ahmednagar. The gruesome incident occurred on August 25 in which four men from the Dalit community were hung upside down from a tree and assaulted by six persons. The youth were beaten on the mere suspicion of stealing pigeons from the farm of one of the assaulters.
Condemning the incident, the President of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Maharashtra, Maulana Ilyas Khan Falahi said, “The visuals of semi-stripped youth being beaten with wires and sticks by hanging them upside down from a tree are highly disturbing. Subjecting any citizen to such punishment for an allegedly petty crime by taking the law into one’s own hands should not be tolerated by any society that believes in justice and supremacy of the law. This tendency to take the law into one’s own hands to dispense vigilante justice or subject others to physical violence for exacting revenge is spreading fast and should be addressed at the level of society as well as by the authorities and administration.
“Many anti-social elements feel that they have the backing of their political masters and that they would be bailed out and not face any action. The climate of hate and polarization is contributing to this situation.
“The Dalit community in India has borne the brunt of violence and discrimination for centuries and so we should be extremely sensitive to any incidents that hurt their sentiments. Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Maharashtra demands swift action by the police to arrest the culprits. The guilty must be awarded strict punishment. The victims of the violence deserve adequate compensation or employment in some government entity as a token of solidarity.”
A delegation of Jamaat led by the JIH District In-charge, Dr Saleem visited the victims to express their condemnation. They extended feelings of brotherhood and fraternity and submitted a memorandum to the district authorities in Rahuri, condemning the incident.
