Another life was lost for belonging to a religious minority when a Muslim youth Sheikh Firoz was lynched on suspicion of theft.
Hate crimes against Muslims in the area had been reported last year. It is crucial to note that over the last year, anti-Muslim violence struck Khandwa and its surrounding areas, and recent incidents of hate crimes against Muslims had been reported in the region.
The relative of the deceased alleged that when they discovered Firoz was Muslim, they beat him mercilessly until he passed out and then threw him in the drainage channel, as provided by the Observer Post.
This video shows the commotion in the night as the horror occurred and Professor Ashok Swain tweeted” Another Muslim has been lynched in MP, India.
Another Muslim has been lynched in MP, India. pic.twitter.com/81ba7bX3XO
— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) April 9, 2023
The Muslim youth, Sheikh Firoz was allegedly beaten to death on suspicion of theft in Chhaigoan Devi Village. The area comes under the jurisdiction of Chhaigoan Makhan police station in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh.
Firoz, the victim, was discovered unconscious in a drainage channel on Sunday morning and was rushed to the district hospital, where he passed away during treatment. Firoz was from Khanshawali, Khandwa. It is pertinent to be noted that last year, anti-Muslim violence struck Khandwa and its surrounding areas, and recent incidents of hate crimes against Muslims had been reported in the region.
Anil Singh, DSP Headquarters, confirmed that the victim suffered multiple stab wounds and bruises all over his body, as reported by Maktoob Media.
According to the police, Firoz had several theft cases filed against him in various police stations and was also associated with the accused, which is being cited as a possible motive for the attack, as provided by Maktoob Media. The police have begun an investigation into the incident.
Furthermore, according to Bhaskar.com, Firoz was caught stealing chickpeas and was brutally attacked by eight to ten residents. According to the report, the residents were already on high alert due to an increase in thefts in the area. Residents observed three suspicious individuals enter the village around midnight, two of whom managed to flee and one was apprehended and lynched.
According to one of Firoz’s relatives, the lynching was carried out by Chatter Patel, the former panchayat president of Surgaon Village in Khandwa, and his followers, as provided by Maktoob Media.
Firoz’s mother claims that Firoz was lynched by the locals. In order to seek justice for her son, she has refused to perform his final rites until the perpetrators are apprehended as per news reports. A postmortem examination has been ordered for the victim’s body.
A video shows members of the deceased’s family and community staging a protest by placing the corpse in front of the Moghat police station.
While the government claims minority protection, incidents such as these keep randomly occurring sparking indignation from citizens.
Author Sanjay Jha said: “I just heard Nirmala Sitharaman talking about minority protection in India abroad. Are we serious?
A pack of lies, wrapped in sophistry and covered with deceit.”
I just heard Nirmala Sitharaman talking about minority protection in India abroad. Are we serious ?
A pack of lies, wrapped in sophistry and covered with deceit.
— Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay) April 11, 2023