Muslim youth Sheikh Firoz lynched in MP over suspicion of theft

Another Muslim youth was lynched in Madhya Pradesh only over suspicion of theft. 

On Sunday, a Muslim youth named Sheikh Firoz was horribly beaten in the Chaigaon devi village which falls under the jurisdiction of Chhaigoan Makhan police station in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh.

Sheikh Firoz lynched: What Led to this incident?

The incident took place on Sunday when the locals attacked Firoz and threw him into a drainage channel. 

DSP Anil Singh confirmed that the victim had suffered multiple stabs. The victim was rushed to the district hospital but passed away during the treatment.  

Firoz belonged from Khanshwali, Khandawa where the anti-muslim violence was struck last year. The area has witnessed a number of riots and hate crimes against the Muslim community. 

According to Bhaskar.com, it was found out that Firoz was caught stealing chickpeas and was brutally attacked by around nine to ten residents. The locals were already on high alert due to increasing cases of theft in the region. 

The residents claim that three suspicious individuals entered the village at midnight out of which two managed to flee and one was apprehended and lynched by the locals. 

According to Maktoob media, the police claim that there were a number of cases filed against Firoz in several police stations and he was also linked with other accused which is seen as a reason behind the attack. 

Will the deceased be given justice?

The police have already begun their investigation to scrutinize the possible reasons behind this incident and the involvement of the locals. 

The deceased’s family has refused to complete the final rites of Firoz until the assailants are apprehended. According to Order Post, the family believes that when the locals got to know that Firoz was a Muslim they kept on beating him mercilessly until he passed away. 

The family claims that the lynching was carried out by the former panchayat president of Surgaon Village in Khandwa, and his followers,  Chatter Patel.

In order to seek justice, Firoz’s family members staged a protest by placing the corpse in front of the Moghat police station.

The region has previously witnessed a number of hate crimes, one of which occurred when two Muslim men were attacked with chili powder in their eyes while they were at the petrol pump. The two Muslim men, Adnan and Afzal were attacked with chili powder and then were stabbed in the chest. The survivors immediately rushed to the nearest police station when they heard the mob shout “maro maro”. The police arrested the accused which included 5 minors. 

This is not the first time that India has witnessed such devastating cases of hate crimes against minorities. And it is very likely to say that it's not the last time we are hearing violence under the anti-muslim riots in India. 

This whole incident raises the question of whether “theft” was a reason behind the lynching of a Muslim youth or the reason behind the killing was based on religious grounds. Was the youth found guilty of engaging in theft? Or was he found guilty of belonging to the Muslim community? How long will hate crimes against minorities lead to such horrible incidents? How long will this hatred against the minority last? 

Keep Reading

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• What is Mob lynching and its law in India?
• Jharkhand becomes third state to make law against mob lynching

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