Skip to main content

Dadri Part 2? Gujarat cops "force" relatives to accept body of Ayyub, attacked by cow vigilantes in Ahmedabad

Body of Ayyub being brought in Vatva area
Is Ahmedabad all set to turn into Dadri Part 2? It would seem so, if the latest incident of the Gujarat cops seeking to forcibly hand over the body of Mohd Ayyub, who was allegedly attacked by cow vigilantes on September 13 and succumbed to his injuries on September 16, is any indication.  
Known as the 2015 lynching case, in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh a mob of villagers attacked the home of 52 year-old Mohammed Akhlaq, killing him, for suspicion of slaughtering a cow. Akhlaq died in the attack, and his son, 22-year-old Danish, was seriously injured.
The police brought the body of Ayyub from VS Hospital in an ambulance after his relatives refused to accept it demanding action against the cow vigilantes first. The relatives were supported by a well-known human rights group, Jan Sangharsh Manch, with which top Dalit rights leader Jignesh Mevani has been associated.
Earlier, the victim's younger, brother Mohd Arif, along with many others were detained by the Gujarat Police at VS Hospital when they protested against the pressure being brought on them to take away the victim's body against the wishes of the family. The victim's mother threatened to pour kerosene on herself set herself on fire if Arif was not set free.
Police van taking away Jan Sangharsh Manch activists
Young human rights activist Pratik Sinha and his friend Pravin Mishra, a professor at a well-known media institute in Ahmedabad, present at the VS Hospital in support of the family, were charged with lathis at VS Hospital, whereas Shamshad Pathan, lawyer and activist with the Jan Sangharsh Manch, and his colleague Asim Shaikh, were detained.
Pathan was addressing a crowd which had gathered at the VS Hospital in support of the demand arrest the culprits before the family could perform the last rites.
Meanwhile, the situation became tense in Vatva area of Ahmedabad, where local residents, mostly Muslims, came out in support of the family. Many women sat on a wooden cot right near the ambulance's entrance and did not allow the police take out the dead body.
Mevani, who was picked up by the Gujarat police after he returned from Delhi on September 16 from the airport and released early on September 17, said in a statement, “I am technically released but still under house arrest, kind of surveillance, as a team of Ahmadabad crime branch is constantly with me.”
Ayyub at VS Hospital
Calling the death of Ayyub Dadri Part 2, he added, “My detention is negligible, they need tremendous support.” Leader of the Una protest movement against the gruesome flogging of four Dalit youths on July 11, Mevani was detained on September 16 evening at Ahmedabad airport, apprehending he would protest against Modi, in Gujarat for his birthday bash.
On September 13, Ayyub and Sameer Sheikh were travelling in an Innova towards Ahmedabad with two calves when vigilantes chased them, rammed into their car near Honest T-junction near Karnavati club in Ahmedabad, pulled them out of the car, and beat them up with rods and sticks.
This incident happened at around 3 a.m.
Sheikh was also beaten up and suffered injuries on his head. The police took Sheikh him into custody, but by the time they could reach Mohd Ayyub, he had already suffered many injuries. Ambulance was called in and Ayyub was admitted to Civil Hospital, while Sheikh was taken to Anandnagar Police Station.
Shifted to VS Hospital for reasons not known, Ayyub died 5 p.m. on September 16. The police registered two FIRs, the first against Sameer Sheikh and Mohd Ayyub under Cow Protection Act and the other against cow vigilantes under Section 307, i.e. attempt to murder.
Mother of Ayyub (extreme left) at VS Hopital
However, say sources, while the police named the cow vigilantes in the first FIR against Sheikh and Mohd Ayyub and also noted down the vehicle numbers, in the second FIR under Section 307, the attackers have been termed as 'unknown'.
The attack took place despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling 80 per cent cow vigilantes “fake”, asking states to take action against them. Delivering a speech in Medak, Telangana, on August 7, Modi was indirectly referring to the flogging of four Dalit youths by cow vigilantes on July 11.

Comments

TRENDING

A sector under siege? War and real estate: Navigating uncertainty in India's expanding market

I was a little surprised when I received an email alert from a top real estate consultant, Anarock Group , titled "Exploring War’s Effects on Indian Real Estate—When Conflict Meets Concrete," authored by its regional director and head of research, Dr. Prashant Thakur. I had thought that the business would wholeheartedly support what is considered a strong response to the dastardly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Operation Sindoor. 

Ahmedabad's civic chaos: Drainage woes, waterlogging, and the illusion of Olympic dreams

In response to my blog on overflowing gutter lines at several spots in Ahmedabad's Vejalpur, a heavily populated area, a close acquaintance informed me that it's not just the middle-class housing societies that are affected by the nuisance. Preeti Das, who lives in a posh locality in what is fashionably called the SoBo area, tells me, "Things are worse in our society, Applewood."

Tracking a lost link: Soviet-era legacy of Gujarati translator Atul Sawani

The other day, I received a message from a well-known activist, Raju Dipti, who runs an NGO called Jeevan Teerth in Koba village, near Gujarat’s capital, Gandhinagar. He was seeking the contact information of Atul Sawani, a translator of Russian books—mainly political and economic—into Gujarati for Progress Publishers during the Soviet era. He wanted to collect and hand over scanned soft copies, or if possible, hard copies, of Soviet books translated into Gujarati to Arvind Gupta, who currently lives in Pune and is undertaking the herculean task of collecting and making public soft copies of Soviet books that are no longer available in the market, both in English and Indian languages.

A conman, a demolition man: How 'prominent' scribes are defending Pritish Nandy

How to defend Pritish Nandy? That’s the big question some of his so-called fans seem to ponder, especially amidst sharp criticism of his alleged insensitivity during his journalistic career. One such incident involved the theft and publication of the birth certificate of Masaba Gupta, daughter of actor Neena Gupta, in the Illustrated Weekly of India, which Nandy was editing at the time. He reportedly did this to uncover the identity of Masaba’s father.

Environmental concern? Global NGO leads campaign urging banks to cut ties with Odisha steel project

A decade after the withdrawal of the South Korean multinational POSCO from Odisha following large-scale protests, questions remain about whether India-based JSW Steel, which took over the project, can successfully revive the 13.2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) steel plant and coal-fired power plant. POSCO initiated the project in 2005 but exited in 2017 due to sustained local opposition.

Adani Group a key player in Indo-Israel defence cooperation: Tel Aviv daily

Said to be one of the most influential Israeli dailies, "Haaretz" (literally: News of the Land) has identified the Adani Group—known to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi—as one of the key Indian business houses engaged in defence cooperation with Israel. Pointing out that India supplied the Israeli military with Hermes 900 drones, the daily reported that this advanced aerial vehicle came off “the production line in a factory set up in Hyderabad, as part of the cooperation between the Israeli Elbit and India's Adani Group.”

Despite Hindutva hold claim, 18% Hindus in US don't want to be identified with Hinduism!

Scanning through news items on the Google News app on my mobile — which is what I do almost every morning — I came across a story published on India.com, which I found somewhat misleading. The headline said, "Muslim population drops significantly in THIS country as over 25% Muslims leave Islam due to…, the country is…"

Beyond Indus water treaty suspension: A 'nationalist' push despite harsh climate realities

The suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) appears to have pushed the middle classes, at least in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state, Gujarat, further towards what the powers-that-be would consider—a "positive" direction. As usual, during my morning walk, I tried talking with a neighbour about what impact it would have. Ignoring what is widely considered a "security lapse," this person, who had just returned after buying milk, compared the Modi move with Trump.

Gujarat slips in India Justice Report 2025: From model state to mid-table performer

Overall ranking in IJR reports The latest India Justice Report (IJR), prepared by legal experts with the backing of several civil society organisations and aimed at ranking the capacity of states to deliver justice, has found Gujarat—considered by India's rulers as a model state for others to follow—slipping to the 11th position from fourth in 2022.