Skip to main content

Pehlu Khan murder: Demand to set up SIT to probe "conspiracy" by Sangh Parivar, role of police in cow vigilantism

Protest in Jaipur against murder of Pehlu Khan
By Our Representative
An alliance of Left and civil rights organizations, the Bhoomi Adhikar Andolan (BAA), has decided to organize a mass dharna in front of Parliament on April 19, 2017 to demand setting up of a special investigation team (SIT) under the direct supervision of Supreme Court to probe the role of the police and the Sangh Parivar in the conspiracy which led to the murder of Pehlu Khan in Alwar early this month.
Formed to bring together organizations fighting for land rights, BAA consist of All-India Kisan Sabha, National Alliance for People’s Movements, All-India Agriculture Workers Union, All-India Union of Forest Working People, Akhil Bhartiya Krishak Khet Mazdoor Sangathan, Jan Sangharsh Samanvaya Samiti, Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, Insaf, Kisan Manch, All Kisan Mahan Sabha, Delhi Solidarity Group and others.
Alleging that the Rajasthan under the Vasundhara Raje government is witnessing “complete lawlessness and anarchy”, failing to arrest any of the real culprits of the heinous murder, BAA regretted in a statement ahead of the mass dharna, “The state government has not announced any compensation to the victims.”
Especially criticizing Home Minister Gulam Chand Kataria’s for siding with “criminal elements” by justifying the lynching, BAA said, “The Narendra Modi Government has equated the victims with the culprits and miserably failed to ensure justice on such a sensitive issue.”
“Anybody can kill any person and get scot free in Rajasthan if he shouts slogans of Sangh Parivar”, BAA said, adding, “Cow has become a symbol of communal extremist politics under the Modi raj.”
It added, “BAA considers the heinous attack as part of conscious efforts and conspiracy by the Hindu communal forces led by the RSS to systematically and slowly poison society with communal hatred and intolerance with the aim of dividing the people for narrow political and electoral benefits.”
Rajasthan home minister Kataria
BAA said, “Cattle protection not as an issue of religious belief but an agrarian issue, having severe implication on peasant economy.”
It stated, “26% of the agrarian GDP is from animal husbandry”, adding, “The recent enactments by some of the state governments led by BJP for so called ‘cow protection’ are an infringement on rights of the peasantry on cattle trade.”
“Such laws virtually ban the cattle trade with dire consequences on rural agrarian economy”, it warned adding, “Sangh Pariwar organisations are consistently unleashing violence by raking up sensitive issues like ban on cow slaughter and beef eating especially after Narendra Modi Government assumed power.”
Calling for a Left and democratic alternative at the national level to resist the conscious efforts of Sangh Parivar to perpetuate civil war in the country in the name of extreme religious communal fanaticism”, BAA demanded that the Vasundhara Raje government of Rajasthan must provide Rs 1 crore as compensation to the bereaved family of Pehlu Khan and Rs 25 lakhs each to the other victims.”
At the same time, it added, “The Manohar Lal Khattar government of Haryana must ensure Immediate and free medical treatment to all the victims.”
Those who have signed the statement include Left leaders Hannan Mollah, Atul Kumar Anjan, and Suneet Chopra, and civil rights leaders Ashok Chowdhury, Sunilam, Deep Singh Shekhavat, Anil Chowdhary, Sanjay Singh, Prem Singh, Satyavan, Roma, and Virendra Vidrohi.

Comments

TRENDING

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

'Anti-poor stand': Even British wouldn't reduce Railways' sleeper and general coaches

By Anandi Pandey, Sandeep Pandey*  Probably even the British, who introduced railways in India, would not have done what the Bhartiya Janata Party government is doing. The number of Sleeper and General class coaches in various trains are surreptitiously and ominously disappearing accompanied by a simultaneous increase in Air Conditioned coaches. In the characteristic style of BJP government there was no discussion or debate on this move by the Indian Railways either in the Parliament or outside of it. 

Why convert growing badminton popularity into an 'inclusive sports opportunity'

By Sudhansu R Das  Over the years badminton has become the second most popular game in the world after soccer.  Today, nearly 220 million people across the world play badminton.  The game has become very popular in urban India after India won medals in various international badminton tournaments.  One will come across a badminton court in every one kilometer radius of Hyderabad.  

Faith leaders agree: All religious places should display ‘anti-child marriage’ messages

By Jitendra Parmar*  As many as 17 faith leaders, together for an interfaith dialogue on child marriage in New Delhi, unanimously have agreed that no faith allows or endorses child marriage. The faith leaders advocated that all religious places should display information on child marriage.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Ayurveda, Sidda, and knowledge: Three-day workshop begins in Pala town

By Rosamma Thomas*  Pala town in Kottayam district of Kerala is about 25 km from the district headquarters. St Thomas College in Pala is currently hosting a three-day workshop on knowledge systems, and gathered together are philosophers, sociologists, medical practitioners in homeopathy and Ayurveda, one of them from Nepal, and a few guests from Europe. The discussions on the first day focused on knowledge systems, power structures, and epistemic diversity. French researcher Jacquiline Descarpentries, who represents a unique cooperative of researchers, some of whom have no formal institutional affiliation, laid the ground, addressing the audience over the Internet.

Article 21 'overturned' by new criminal laws: Lawyers, activists remember Stan Swamy

By Gova Rathod*  The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Gujarat, organised an event in Ahmedabad entitled “Remembering Fr. Stan Swamy in Today’s Challenging Reality” in the memory of Fr. Stan Swamy on his third death anniversary.  The event included a discussion of the new criminal laws enforced since July 1, 2024.

Hindutva economics? 12% decline in manufacturing enterprises, 22.5% fall in employment

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  The messiah of Hindutva politics, Narendra Modi, assumed office as the Prime Minister of India on May 26, 2014. He pledged to transform the Indian economy and deliver a developed nation with prosperous citizens. However, despite Modi's continued tenure as the Prime Minister, his ambitious electoral promises seem increasingly elusive. 

Union budget 'outrageously scraps' scheme meant for rehabilitating manual scavengers

By Bezwada Wilson*  The Union Budget for the year 2024-2025, placed by the Finance Minister in Parliament has completely deceived the Safai Karmachari community. There is no mention of persons engaged in manual scavenging in the entire Budget. Even the scheme meant for the rehabilitation of manual scavengers (SRMS) has been outrageously scrapped.