New Delhi, The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) on Saturday demanded a strict law against lynchings and hate crimes, following a meeting with the families of three cattle transporters who were killed after being allegedly chased by a mob in Chhattisgarh on last month.
It was a "planned murder", the AIKS said in a statement issued after a delegation comprising its members and the All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU) met the families of the victims on Friday.
The delegation met the families of Tehsim Qureshi in Banat town, and Chand Mian and Saddam Qureshi in Lakhnauti village in Uttar Pradesh and handed over checks of Rs 1 lakh each, he said.
The cattle transporters were killed on June 7 near the Mahanadi bridge along the Mahasamund-Raipur border in Chhattisgarh.
"The planned killings took place barely three days after the declaration of the results of the June 4 Lok Sabha elections in which Narendra Modi and the BJP-NDA (National Democratic Alliance) came to power for the third time, albeit with a much larger vote. This was followed by similar attacks on Muslims by Sangh Parivar criminals in several states," the AIKS said.
The delegation included Rajya Sabha MP and AIAWU treasurer V Sivadasan, AIKS president Ashok Dhawale and general secretary Vijoo Krishnan, among others.
They were accompanied by AIKS leaders from Uttar Pradesh.
"So far, no government official has visited Tehsim Qureshi's family, while the sub-divisional magistrate had visited the two families in Lakhnauti village. Neither the Chhattisgarh state government nor the Uttar Pradesh state government, both headed by them , provided compensation or treatment expenses to these families by the BJP," the statement said.
The AIKS demanded compensation of Rs 1 million from the Chhattisgarh government for each family and a permanent job for one family member of each victim.
Alleging that it was a planned attack, the AIKS said: "The Chhattisgarh incident occurred between 2 and 3 am on June 7, when a gang of 11 to 12 people followed the truck loaded with cattle, all buffaloes. , not a single cow. - and stopped the truck at the Mahanadi bridge and attacked the workers. It is a case of premeditated murder and hate crime and not of mass lynching."
He said the state police have registered an FIR under sections 304 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code for attempt to murder and culpable homicide which attracts punishment of any kind for a period which may extend to two years, or with fine or both.
However, Section 302 dealing with murder was not included, he added.
"This reveals the rabidly communal bias of the Chhattisgarh police. Among the four arrested late in this case is Raja Agrawal, district propaganda chief of the BJYM (Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha)," he said.
The AIKS also demanded a judicial investigation and called for a law to control hate crimes.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are directly responsible for the current wave of widespread increase in hate crimes against Muslims across India in the post-election scenario. The RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and its organizations constantly instigate hatred against Muslims. minorities," said the farmers' organization.
"The AIKS strongly demands that the NDA government and Union Parliament enact a strict law against lynching and hate crimes, establish speedy courts to expedite the trial and conviction of lawbreakers and protect the interests of ranchers, merchants and workers in the livestock trade and the meat industry," he added.
The organization also called on all its village and tehsil units to observe July 24 as a day of protest against "RSS-driven hate crimes against cattle farmers and livestock transport workers".
It was a "planned murder", the AIKS said in a statement issued after a delegation comprising its members and the All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU) met the families of the victims on Friday.
The delegation met the families of Tehsim Qureshi in Banat town, and Chand Mian and Saddam Qureshi in Lakhnauti village in Uttar Pradesh and handed over checks of Rs 1 lakh each, he said.
The cattle transporters were killed on June 7 near the Mahanadi bridge along the Mahasamund-Raipur border in Chhattisgarh.
"The planned killings took place barely three days after the declaration of the results of the June 4 Lok Sabha elections in which Narendra Modi and the BJP-NDA (National Democratic Alliance) came to power for the third time, albeit with a much larger vote. This was followed by similar attacks on Muslims by Sangh Parivar criminals in several states," the AIKS said.
The delegation included Rajya Sabha MP and AIAWU treasurer V Sivadasan, AIKS president Ashok Dhawale and general secretary Vijoo Krishnan, among others.
They were accompanied by AIKS leaders from Uttar Pradesh.
"So far, no government official has visited Tehsim Qureshi's family, while the sub-divisional magistrate had visited the two families in Lakhnauti village. Neither the Chhattisgarh state government nor the Uttar Pradesh state government, both headed by them , provided compensation or treatment expenses to these families by the BJP," the statement said.
The AIKS demanded compensation of Rs 1 million from the Chhattisgarh government for each family and a permanent job for one family member of each victim.
Alleging that it was a planned attack, the AIKS said: "The Chhattisgarh incident occurred between 2 and 3 am on June 7, when a gang of 11 to 12 people followed the truck loaded with cattle, all buffaloes. , not a single cow. - and stopped the truck at the Mahanadi bridge and attacked the workers. It is a case of premeditated murder and hate crime and not of mass lynching."
He said the state police have registered an FIR under sections 304 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code for attempt to murder and culpable homicide which attracts punishment of any kind for a period which may extend to two years, or with fine or both.
However, Section 302 dealing with murder was not included, he added.
"This reveals the rabidly communal bias of the Chhattisgarh police. Among the four arrested late in this case is Raja Agrawal, district propaganda chief of the BJYM (Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha)," he said.
The AIKS also demanded a judicial investigation and called for a law to control hate crimes.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are directly responsible for the current wave of widespread increase in hate crimes against Muslims across India in the post-election scenario. The RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and its organizations constantly instigate hatred against Muslims. minorities," said the farmers' organization.
"The AIKS strongly demands that the NDA government and Union Parliament enact a strict law against lynching and hate crimes, establish speedy courts to expedite the trial and conviction of lawbreakers and protect the interests of ranchers, merchants and workers in the livestock trade and the meat industry," he added.
The organization also called on all its village and tehsil units to observe July 24 as a day of protest against "RSS-driven hate crimes against cattle farmers and livestock transport workers".
