State wise track record of hate crimes under BJP rule

Mirah Zamin

With the recent death of Mukesh Vaniya or the brutal murder as many human rights activist are calling it, Gujarat is no stranger to anti-Dalit violence and in the past six months has been a hot-bed for violence against low- caste community; men have been brutally beaten for mere watching garba or riding horse in the BJP ruled State. The most talked about incident is the one at Una, where four Dalit tannery workers were stripped and flogged while being filmed in 2016.

But is Gujarat the only state where extreme vigilantism is being practised?

No if media reports from other States are to be brought in this picture of never ending atrocities which have increased with BJP coming into power in 2014.

According to National Crime rate bureau ( NCRB) 2016 data, there was rise of 2,131 Dalit atrocities cases from 38,670 in 2015 to 40,801 in 2016.

Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of atrocities against Dalits, the NCRB data shows, at 25.6% of all cases reported. This is followed by Bihar (14%) and Rajasthan (12.6%).

Over the last ten years (2007-2017), there has been a 66% growth in crimes against Schedule caste. Further, data from the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) shows that the rape of Dalit women has doubled in the last 10 years.

The state-wise cases from last four- years are nothing but shame for the democratic India which showcases its repressive caste system in 21^st century.

Uttar Pradesh

On August 29, 2015 residents of Chilla village, near east Delhi’s Mayur Vihar, clashed with four truck drivers reportedly transporting buffaloes to a slaughter house in Ghazipur.

A mob of villagers attacked the home of a Muslim man, Mohammed Akhlaq in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh over beef suspicions. Akhlaq died in the assault on September 28, 2015.

On September 13, 2016 a 25-year-old Muslim man was beaten brutally by cow vigilantes after a road accident which resulted in his death.

Two Dalits were assaulted for refusing to remove cow carcasses in Lucknow on August 5, 2016.

On May 5, 2017 a mass attack took place in Shabbipur village of Saharanpur on Dalits protesting against a procession on Maharana Pratap by the Thakur community. One was killed while, 15 people were injured in the clash between Dalits and upper caste Thakurs.

In May, 2017 for CM Yogi Adityanath visit soap and shampoo were distributed to the Schedule caste in Kushinagar.

On March 22, 2017 several meat shops torched and vandalised by cow vigilantes in Hathras district of U.P.

On June 22, 2017 a 17-year-old was stabbed to death while his brothers were injured by a mob after a dispute over a seat on board a train between Ballabgarh and Mathura stations.

Madhya Pradesh

On July 26, 2016 two Muslim women were beaten at Mandsaur railway station, Madhya Pradesh on suspicion of carrying beef.

On September 3, 2016 cow vigilantes set a truck carrying chicken feed on fire, and beat up its owner at Zhora village, 40 km from Bhopal.

Prakash Bansal, a Dalit groom was allegedly beaten up for “daring” to take a decorated car to his wedding venue, in Chhatarpur District on May 7, 2017. The groom and 6 others were thrashed by four upper caste men.

Maharashtra

On May 26, 2017 three youth were allegedly beaten on suspicion of carrying beef in east Maharashtra’s Rajora village.

In July 2017 in Maharashtra’s Marathwada district- Dalits are denied dignity even after death – no place is given for cremation or burial grounds.

Gujarat

On July 27, 2016 aman in Navsari in Gujarat, who was carrying cattle meat in a plastic bag, was beaten up by Gau Rakshaks.

On July 11, 2016 four Dalits youths in Una, Gujarat were tied to a car and flogged publicly by the cow vigilantes.

On September 25, 2017 25 year old Piyush Parmar was allegedly thrashed by the members of the Rajput community in Gujarat

Krunal Magheria (30) was thrashed for sporting a moustache in a Gujarat village on September 29, 2017. Two Dalit men from a village near Gandhinagar in Gujarat are allegedly thrashed by members of Rajput community for “sporting a moustache”.

A 21 year old Dalit man was allegedly beaten to death by a group of men belonging to the upper caste Patel community for attending a garba event on October 1, 2017.

A 17 year old Dighant Magheria was attacked by two biker men in a Gujarat village who slashed his back with a blade on October 3, 2017.

Kerela

A report by National Commision for Scheduled Castes reported that atrocities against Scheduled caste have been on the rise in Kerala. 883 cases of atrocities between June 2016 and April 2017

Karnataka

On July 10, 2016 members of Bajrang Dal brutally attacked a Dalit family in Koppa in Karnataka, accusing them of possessing beef.

A BJP worker in Karnataka, who was transporting cows in a three-wheeler, died after he was attacked by cow vigilantes on August 18, 2016.

In March 2017 every year a torturous ritual of ‘Sidi’ takes place where Dalits are made to perform excruciatingly painful tasks like piercing their own flesh using metal hooks and then being tied to a wooden poll. ‘Sidi’ is a part of the Udusalamma Devi Jaathra Mahotsav at Hariharapura village near Bengaluru.

Sometime in June 2017, a farm worker, Mareppa Harijan, and his son Ningappa, from Haligondakanal village in Karnataka were tied to a tree and beaten up by another villager, who suspected Ningappa had eloped with his daughter.

Seven members of an alleged cow vigilante group were arrested for attacking and trying to sexually harass women at a house in Tellar village of Karkala, Karnataka on March 27, 2017.

Five Dalits assaulted in a Vijaya Dashami procession in Belur Taluk, Karnataka on September 30, 2017.

Meghalaya

A 30-year-old man, who had allegedly raped a minor girl, was lynched by an angry mob in Shillong on July 9, 2017.

Jharkhand
On March 18, 2016 two cattle traders were beaten, robbed and hanged from a tree in Jhabra village in Latehar district, Jharkhand.

A man accused of carrying beef was allegedly beaten to death by a mob in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh district on June 29, 2017.
Over a 100-strong mob attacks a Muslim man over suspicions he had slaughtered a cow in Giridih district in Jharkhand. Police rescued the man from the marauding attackers and admitted him to a hospital on June 27, 2017.

On June 6, 2017 a man was attacked and severely injured in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district on allegations of carrying beef to an Iftar party.
Four people were beaten to death in Jamshedpur’s Seraikela-Kharswan district on suspicion of child kidnapping on May 31, 2017.

On May 19, 2017 three cattle traders were beaten to death by a mob in Saraikela district, Jharkhand, on suspicion of child kidnapping.

West-Bengal

On September 8, 2016 a man in his early thirties was lynched on suspicion of stealing cattle in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal.

Three Muslim youth were lynched in Durgapur village, West Bengal, by cow vigilantes over suspicion of cattle theft on June 26, 2017.

Rajasthan

Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi (60) was killed in Birloka in Khimsar tehsil of Rajasthan’s Nagaur district after rumours he had killed 200 cows for a feast on May 30, 2015.

On June 11, 2017 around 50 vigilantes targeted officials of the Tamil Nadu government transporting cows from Jaisalmer to their state.

One person was beaten to death in Loharwa village of Rajasthan’s Barmer district when two groups clashed over a land dispute on May 21, 2017.

On April 1, 2017 a 55-year-old dairy farmer, Pehlu Khan, was beaten to death in Alwar, Rajasthan by the cow vigilante group.

Assam
A mob allegedly lynched two men in Nagaon district of Assam, accusing them of cattle theft on May 1, 2017.

Haryana and Punjab
In Mewat, Haryana, ten alleged Gau Rakshaks killed a Muslim couple in their 30s on August 24, 2016.
on July 31, 2016 a man was beaten for allegedly slaughtering cows outside Malout, Muktsar district in Punjab.
Gau Rakshaks force-fed two people a cow dung mixture, accusing them of ferrying beef in Faridabad, Haryana on June 10, 2016.
On May 6, 2016 three people beated a 20-year-old in Sohna, Haryana for allegedly carrying beef.
on March 28, 2016 when a Truck allegedly carrying buffalo tallow stopped on Rupnagar-Kurali road in Punjab the driver was beaten by a mob.

Himachal Pradesh

Mob bludgeons a 22-year-old to death after stopping a truck with more than a dozen cows in Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh on October 16, 2015.

There have been similar lines of incidents taking place, many of which go unreported because of the higher caste dominance in the area.

Source: Compiled from Media reports