The CPI(M) has strongly condemned the brutal killings of Junaid and Nasir and the dangerous politics of cow vigilantism promoted by right-wing groups in India. CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, Brinda Karat and Central Committee member, Amra Ram visited Ghatmika village in Rajasthan on February 18, to meet the families of the victims and express condolences and support for them. They criticised the lack of action by the state government and law enforcement agencies in bringing the perpetrators to justice. They were accompanied by Rajasthan state committee members of the Party, Sumitra Chopra, Sanjay Madhav, Raisa and advocate Shabbir.
Junaid and Nasir were brutally killed by a group of criminals who were allegedly part of the Bajrang Dal Gau Rakshak gang, which operates on the border of Rajasthan and Haryana. The gang is known for its violent attacks against people who they suspect of cow smuggling, and Junaid and Nasir were reportedly targeted because they were carrying beef.
CPI(M) leaders pointed out that the cases against Junaid on charges of cow smuggling had been filed during the earlier BJP regime, along with many others in surrounding villages. Since there was no evidence of any kind, Junaid was never arrested, and none of the charges have been proven even after all these years.
The right-wing groups have created a false narrative that dairy farmers and cattle traders from the Muslim community are cow slaughterers. The village of Ghatmika, with a predominantly Muslim population, is located in the Mewat region and has been a target of gau rakshaks. In November 2017, Umar Khan, a cattle trader from this village, was shot dead by the gau rakshaks during the previous BJP regime in Rajasthan, just a few months after dairy farmer Pehlu Khan was brutally killed. Despite this, Umar Khan's family has yet to receive justice. The villagers fear that Junaid and Nasir's families will suffer the same fate. Currently, an FIR has been filed on the charge of kidnapping, but the charge of murder has yet to be included. Those named in the FIR include the notorious Mohit Yadav known as Manu Manesar who operates with impunity in the region with the approval of the BJP government in Haryana. The burnt car and bodies were found in village Barvas, Loharu in the Bhiwani district of Haryana. So the Haryana police, which has been complicit in providing patronage to the activities of the gau rakshaks, is to be involved with the investigation. Only one of the accused has been arrested.
In such a situation it is essential for the Rajasthan government to act firmly, more so since the initial crime of kidnapping took place in Rajasthan. The criminals named must be arrested without delay. Compensation of fifty lakh rupees, as given by the government in the earlier communal murder of Kanhaiya Lal, should be given to the families of the victims along with employment assistance, demanded the CPI(M) leaders.
The policy and patronage of the Haryana government and police in protecting the criminal activities of the so-called gau rakshak gangs must be held responsible. The Rajasthan government must also immediately probe the role of the Rajasthan police in this case. The CPI(M) will be giving a memorandum to the chief minister with the above demands.
