Dadri killing a result of pre-meditated planning, says National Minorities Commission report

New Delhi: The lynching of man in Dadri last month strongly appeared to be the result of “pre-meditated planning” under which people were incited using a temple, the National Minorities Commission has said. In its report, the minority panel also described as “disturbing” the “irreponsible comments” by politicians to make “capital” out of it. [caption id=“attachment_2477686” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The National Minorities Commission report has said that the Dadri lynching was a result of pre-meditated planning. GettyImages[/caption] In an obvious reference to statements made by Union Minister Mahesh Sharma and some other BJP leaders following the lyching of Mohammed Iqlakh over rumours of beef eating that triggered a nation-wide outrage, the NCM said it will be “quite an understatement” to say the killing was merely an “accident as has been claimed even by some persons in authority”. A three-member team of the Commission headed by its chairman Naseem Ahmad had visited Bishada village near Dadri in Uttar Pradesh and interacted with family members of the victim, the concerned authorities and locals. “The team feels that a crowd of large numbers appearing within minutes of an announcement from temple’s loudspeaker and at a time when most villagers claimed they were asleep seems to point to some pre-meditated planning. “The facts as reported to the NCM team point strongly that the whole episode was the result of a planning in which a sacred place like temple was used for exhorting people of one community to attack a hapless family,” the report said. Quoting district officials, the NCM noted that two more attempts had been made to “incite” people by spreading a rumour that a cow had been killed but police responded instantly and did not allow the situation to escalate. 50-year-old Iqlakh was beaten to death and his 22-year-old son Danish was critically injured by a 200-strong mob on September 28 following rumours that the family had consumed and stored beef. In an apparent criticism of BJP leaders who made controversial comments after the incident, the NCM said such statements further “vitiate” the relations between different communities and this should be stopped at all cost or “things will go out of hand”. What is more “disturbing”, the report said, is that “responsible persons converge at the place of any such incident and make irresponsible statements that further vitiates the relations between communities”. “All the political establishments need to counsel their cadres and sympathisers to desist from making irresponsible statements and making capital out of such outrages,” it said. The malaise of moral policing was spreading fast, especially in Western UP, it said and sought vigilance and curb on the use of social media as it was being extensively used to flare up communal passions. Iqlakh’s family members told the NCM members that there was no tension between them and other villagers before the incident. “They claimed that the attack was sudden and vicious and that the men were particularly and brutally targeted but women were also assaulted and injured. They were however all praise for the help provided by the administration,” the report said. Members of the majority community (Hindus) expressed regret over the shameful incident, it noted, and promised to provide security to Muslim families but Iqlakh’s brothers said it was difficult to be ensured in the backdrop of the murder. The families of Iqlakh and his three brothers still felt vulnerable and insecure, it said. “The NCM chairman said providing security to Muslims families in the village at this time was paramount and all efforts have to be made to expedite police investigation so that the guilty are brought to book quickly. He also emphasised that all assistance to the victim’s family has to be provided whether it is legal, material or emotional,” the report said. The NCM has also called for improved intelligence gathering so that such incidents are not repeated. “It has to be revised with utmost sincerity if we are really interested in restoring communal amity. It is an issue on which both the central and state authorities have to work in tandem without blaming each other,” the report said. PTI