IN the name of cow protection, violent incidents of beating, kidnapping, and murder are increasing continuously in Haryana. On August 23, 19-year-old student Aryan Mishra was brutally murdered by so-called cow protectors in Faridabad, reportedly because he was mistaken for a cattle smuggler. Similarly, on August 27, 26-year-old Bengali migrant worker Sabir Malik, a rag picker living in a jhuggi (slum dwelling) in a village in Charkhi Dadri district, was lynched to death on allegations of cooking beef. Along with him, migrant worker Asiruddin from Assam and his 13-year-old son, Raqibal, were also badly beaten.

A few months prior to these incidents, two young farmers from Fatehabad district were severely beaten on suspicion of cow smuggling while transporting tomatoes from Rajasthan. There have been many more such incidents. Armed gangs, organised in the name of cow protection, have created an atmosphere of terror in the state. These gangs operate with the illegitimate patronage of the BJP government, and they target cattle-rearing minorities. The killing of Aryan Mishra in Faridabad shows that anyone, regardless of their background, can become a victim of their violence.

The Haryana state committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has strongly condemned these incidents and met with the victims' families. In the case of the murder of a Bengali migrant worker living in Hansawas Khurd village of Badhra tehsil in Charkhi Dadri, a five-member delegation of the Party visited the scene of the tragic incident on August 30. The delegation included the Party's district secretary and state committee member, Om Prakash, as well as Ramphal Deswal, Sukhdev Palwas, Rampal Dharni, Pratap Singh Singhmar, and Baljeet Mokhra.

The delegation met with migrant workers from Assam and Bengal who were living in temporary huts around Badhra. The victims told the delegation that on August 27, around 11 am, 50-60 people claiming to be cow protectors forcibly entered the huts of the migrant workers. They first beat up women and children, intimidating and threatening them. The attackers then assaulted the men, accusing them of being beef eaters. Subsequently, the workers Sabir Malik, Asiruddin, and his minor son Raqibal were dragged out of their huts and taken to a separate location, where they were severely beaten. As a result, Sabir Malik succumbed to his injuries, while Asiruddin and his minor son Raqibal were seriously injured. They were later admitted to a hospital located at Tikri Border, Delhi.

The migrant workers told our Party team that they never consume beef but eat the meat of buffaloes or goats. They said the so-called cow protectors want to drive them away by falsely implicating them and depriving them of their livelihood. They explained that they had travelled 1,800 kilometres from Assam and Bengal to earn a living here, supporting their households by picking garbage. They mentioned that Sabir Malik also did the same work, living in the area with his wife, children, and brother-in-law.

The delegation then met with the in-charge of the Badhra police station and demanded the immediate arrest of all the criminals involved in this crime and full security for the migrant workers. The delegation asserted that the so-called cow protectors are engaging in illegal activities at the instigation of some fundamentalist organisations. They noted that last year, two minority youths, Junaid and Nasir, were similarly kidnapped from a village in Rajasthan, brought to Haryana, and burned to death in the name of cow smuggling. Such criminal incidents must be stopped immediately, and the so-called cow protection task force involving the police and armed anti-social elements should be disbanded without delay.

The police station in-charge assured the delegation that full security would be provided to the migrant workers and that seven accused criminals had been arrested. The Party also demanded that the state government provide full compensation and proper rehabilitation to the victim's family.

However, astonishingly, Haryana chief minister Nayab Saini, instead of assuring strict action against those responsible for these incidents, made a statement that is highly condemnable, provocative, and appears to justify these ghastly acts. The chief minister said that the incident is unfortunate, but people's strong sentiments are attached to the cow and who can stop them.  He also said that a law has been made to protect the cow.

Reacting to this, Haryana Party state secretary Surender Singh Malik stated that the BJP government is openly protecting such misdeeds to create communal polarisation in view of the upcoming assembly elections. He expressed deep anguish and concern over these criminal incidents and held the BJP and Sangh Parivar's politics responsible. He said that during the ten years of BJP rule in Haryana, an environment of hatred and violence has been created on a communal basis. Armed squads have been set up in the name of cow protection and religious protection, and they are being supported by the state government and administration. It is a matter of grave concern that anyone can be kidnapped, beaten, and murdered openly based on rumour and suspicion in the state.

The law and order situation in the state has completely collapsed under BJP rule. The morale of criminals is very high. As a result, in the last decade, Haryana has become a major centre of criminal networks. Every citizen living in Haryana, especially minorities, dalits, migrants, women, and poor people, feels extremely insecure and afraid. However, with the increase in criminal networks, no section of society can feel safe. The daily incidents of firing, threats, looting, ransom, kidnapping, murder, and rape are the result of this breakdown.

Surender Singh Malik appealed to the citizens of Haryana to thwart the BJP-RSS's efforts to create communal polarisation and to teach them a lesson in the upcoming assembly elections.

In the case of Aryan Mishra's murder in Faridabad, a delegation led by Party Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat met with the victim's family. The Haryana unit of the Party has also written a letter to the chief minister, demanding strict punishment for the culprits, the disbanding of the so-called cow protection gangs, financial aid to the poor aggrieved family, and a job for one member of the family.