Umar's murder: Rajasthan cops arrest two victims of cow vigilante attack; 'it's travesty of justice'

In what is being described as “travesty of justice”, the Rajasthan police have arrested Tahir Mohammad and Javed Jabaa, the two eye witnesses in the gruesome murder of Umar Mohammad, who was killed on November 11, after which his body was dumped on railway track. They have been arrested on the basis of FIR No 273/2017 for seeking to smuggle cows.
The police are said to have called Tahir, who was in hospital with a bullet wound, and Javed, who had escaped following the attack by cow vigilantes, to the police station. They were detained and then arrested. Both have been kept in police lock up.
On the day of the murder, Umar and two his colleagues were returning to their village after purchasing cattle from Rajasthan on November 11. During the incident, which took place in Alwar district, they were accosted by a group of seven men, who opened fire. Umar died on the spot, while Javed escaped. Tahir was hit, but managed to escape.
Accused of murder, two cow vigilantes – Ramveer Gurjar and Bhagwan Singh – were also arrested and have reportedly confessed to the killing and mutilating Umar’s body by placing it on the railway track. There is, however, no sign of the others, also accused in the murder, being arrest.
Well-known human rights organization, People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Rajasthan, condemning the arrest, said that the police wants to build pressure on these two boys, because they are key witnesses in the murder of Umar. Kavita Shrivsatava of PUCL suspects, the police is seeking to dilute the case by bargaining a deal.
“Clearly showing that the Government has given absolute impunity to the killers and they will strike again and again”, she alleges.
Calling it a “travesty of justice”, Shrivastava said, “The Alwar district police should have arrested the killers, the so called gau rakshaks, those who tried to destroy evidence. Clearly, this shows that the Government has given absolute impunity to the killers so that they can strike again and again.”
Meanwhile, in a statement, the PUCL has demanded that “the closure of FIR number 273/2017, calling it “false cow smuggling case”, insisting that “the Government of Rajasthan and its police take immediate action in the case of murder. “
In a communique, signed by Shrivastava and other PUCL office bearers, forwarded to Counterview, the PUCL said, “From the beginning we have been saying that the police have a lot to answer in this case: The firing on the pickup vehicle with Umar and others, moving the body of Umar from one area to another 15km away, brutalizing it, dismembering the head, throwing the body on the railway line, stealing the wheels of the pickup carrying the cows etc.”
It added, “By trying to foreground the smuggling case, it is putting the burden of crime and criminality on the victims. The police said that Tahir and Javed have confessed to the crime of smuggling. In the Gurgaon Ryan school case, too, the Haryana police had said that the driver had confessed, yet the criminal was another person.”
Seeking immediate transfer of the case to an SIT or CBI, and release of Tahir and Javed, PUCL said, others responsible for Umar’s murder and shootout should also be arrested, and the police in charge on the 10th November morning of Govindgarh police station, as also the superintendent of police, Alwar district, should be suspended for providing impunity to cow vigilantes for manipulating evidence.

Comments

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…"

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.”

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.

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.

Irrational? Basis for fear among Hindus about being 'swamped' by Muslims

I was amused while reading an article titled "Ham Paanch, Hamare Pachees", shared on Facebook, by well-known policy analyst Mohan Guruswamy, an alumnus of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. Guruswamy, who has also worked as an advisor to the Finance Minister with the rank of Secretary to the Government of India, seeks to probe, as he himself states, "the supposed Muslim attitude to family planning"—a theme that was invoked by Narendra Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister ahead of the December 2002 assembly polls.

Why's Australian crackdown rattling Indian students? Whopping 25% fake visa applications

This is what happened several months ago. A teenager living in the housing society where I reside was sent to Australia to study at a university in Sydney with much fanfare. The parents, whom I often met as part of a group, would tell us how easily the boy got his admission with the help of "some well-meaning friends," adding that they had obtained an education loan to ensure he could study at a graduate school.

Punishing senior citizens? Flipkart, Shopsy stop Cash on Delivery in Ahmedabad!

The other day, someone close to me attempted to order some goodies on Flipkart and its subsidiary Shopsy. After preparing a long list of items, this person, as usual, opted for the Cash on Delivery (popularly known as COD) option, as this senior citizen isn't very familiar with online prepaid payment methods like UPI, credit or debit cards, or online bank transfers through websites. In fact, she is hesitant to make online payments, fearing, "I may make a mistake," she explained, adding, "I read a lot about online frauds, so I always choose COD as it's safe. I have no knowledge of how to prepay online."

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.

Search This Blog