On August 27, in Charkhi Dadri, Haryana, 26-year-old migrant worker Sabir Malik was lynched, and another individual was injured by alleged Hindutva extremists over accusations of beef consumption. The attackers, identified as Abhishek, Ravinder, Mohit, Kamaljeet, and Sahil, have been arrested. Despite the severity of the incident, Haryana’s Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini dismissed the term ‘mob lynching,’ simply calling the incident unfortunate. He stated, “Mob lynching should not happen. Such incidents are unfortunate. We have also enacted strict laws for the protection of the cow within the assembly. There can be no compromise on the issue of cow protection.”
Badhra DSP Bharat Bhushan said, “On August 27, we received information that some people in the slums of Hansawas Khurd village were consuming prohibited meat. We have taken a sample of the meat and sent it to an FSL lab. The future course of action will depend on the lab report. Based on suspicion, the complainants visited other slums, kidnapped two individuals, and assaulted them, resulting in one death and one injury. The police arrested seven suspects, three of whom are in judicial custody, and four are in police remand. Interrogation is ongoing, and if other names emerge, they will also be arrested. The victim was a ragpicker from North 24 Parganas in West Bengal. A company each of SSB and state police has been deployed, and we are monitoring social media posts.”
In a separate incident, a viral video shared by fact-checker Mohammed Zubair showed the assault of Haji Ashraf Munyar, an elderly man from Jalgaon District, on a train. Munyar was traveling to Kalyan to visit his daughter when he was abused and beaten near Igatpuri, accused of carrying beef.
One of the assailants, Aashu Avhad, is the son of a Special Reserved Police Force officer. The attackers, on their way to a police exam in Mumbai, have been detained but not formally arrested.
Contrary to rumors, Munyar did not commit suicide. He is reportedly at his daughter’s house in Kalyan. His son, Ashfaq, has filed a police complaint with Igatpuri Railway Police. Munyar released a video reassuring the public of his safety and thanking them for their support. He urged people not to resort to violence, stating, “You are standing with me. I am alive, but please do not take any wrong steps.”
Condemning the attack, SIO South Maharashtra said: “The brutal assault of this Muslim man by a group of individuals is a heinous crime of hatred and intolerance. Such violence has no place in a civilized society. We urge the authorities to take swift action against the culprits. Justice must be served to the victim, and the safety and dignity of every citizen, regardless of their religion, must be ensured. We also call on the Indian Railways to improve safety and security for all passengers.”
