Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) and Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind have demanded a high-level probe into the cold-blooded and targeted killing of three Muslim passengers namely Abdul Kadar Mohammed Hussain Bhanpurwala, Syed Saifuddin and Asgar Abbas Ali, and an RPF Assistant Sub-Inspector Tikaram Meena inside Mumbai-Jaipur Train by a Railways Protection Force (RPF) constable, Chetan Singh.
In a statement, JIH Vice President Malik Moatasim Khan said the incident appeared to be a hate crime as the accused hunted out passengers who resembled Muslim and shot them in cold-blood. The JIH leader remarked that the heinous incident was another chapter in the continuous chain of organised violence against Muslims and seemed to have become a new normal in the country.
Mr. Khan said, “The radicalisation and polarisation coming from the upper echelons of our power centres has resulted in this sorry state of affairs. It seems that identifying the perpetrators of hate crimes, especially those against Muslims, as mentally unstable and psychic has become the standard operating procedure to ward off any allegations of radicalisation against a particular community. We are able to see through this fabricated hoax.”
The JIH Vice President questioned how those “mentally ill” and “short-tempered” individuals were armed with guns and entrusted with the safety and security of our citizens.”
Terming reports about the accused praising the Prime Minister and the UP Chief Minister after the killing as extremely troubling and damaging, Mr. Khan commented that the entire social ambiance in the country that was created through the policies of exclusion, majoritarianism, division, hate and polarisation – further exacerbated by a pliant media, jingoistic films, literature and books – was leading to such incidents.
Urging media to observe restraint, Mr. Khan stated that hate-mongering by media was at the root of the problem. Demanding to compensate the families of the victims and suitable employment to their kin, the JIH Vice President called for an independent high-level judicial enquiry into the incident and the awarding of punishment to the guilty.
Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has also demanded a high-level probe into the killing of three Muslim passengers and an RPF constable on a running train in Maharashtra. In a statement, Jamiat chief Maulana Arshad Madani expressed deep sorrow and grief over the incident.
“Undoubtedly, the situation in the country is disappointing and dangerous due to sectarianism and hatred prevailing on the basis of religion, but we do not need to despair because the hopeful thing is that despite all the intrigues, the majority of the country is against communalism,” Maulana Madani added.
Federation of Maharashtra Muslims, in a statement, said: “The killing of four people by the constable is very alarming and the Minister of Railways should take the responsibility of ensuring the safety of the railway passengers. We demand that the government take strict steps against creating an atmosphere of hatred in the country.
“Adequate and equal compensation should be paid to the nearest relatives of the deceased. Justice demands that the same amount of compensation as announced to be given to Sub-Inspector Meena should be paid to the three Muslim deceased.”