‘Death’ of Muslim youth charged with alleged possession of cow meat near Roorkee sparks controversy  

‘Death’ of Muslim youth charged with alleged possession of cow meat near Roorkee sparks controversy

S.M.A.KAZMI

Dehradun, Aug 29

The death of Wasim, a 22 year old Muslim youth amidst charges of police torture and complicity on the allegations of possession of cow meat on August 25 has turned into a major controversy with main opposition Congress for the first time in many years coming out openly seeking a fair probe into the issue involving a Muslim.

A delegation of senior Congress leaders including former Chief Minister Harish Rawat, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Yashpal Arya, Saharanpur Lok sabha MP Imran Masood, Uttarakhand Congress Chief Karan Mahra, Vice-president Suryanakt Dhasmana, legislators Pritam Singh, Furqan ahmed, Qazi Nizaumuddin visited the home of the deceased in Madhopur village of Jhabreda area near Roorkee to pay their condolences.

Earlier on Wednesday evening, a delegation of Uttarakhand Congress comprising senior party leaders and legislators had met Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to apprise him about the incident and seek a fair probe into the circumstances leading to the death of the Muslim youth. According to Congress leaders Chief Minister assured to look into the issue.

Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya and legislator Qazi Nizaumuddin had also gone to meet to DGP Abhinav Kumar on Wednesday who was not available. The Congress leaders met ADGP and other senior police officials at police headquarters here and demanded a fair inquiry into the  death of the youth.

Interestingly, it was for the first time that senior Congress leaders had come out openly in support of the minority community amidst growing ‘Islamophobia’ in Uttarakhand. The Congress had preferred to maintain complete silence on the issues involving Muslims including ‘love jehad’, ‘land jehad’ and other kinds of allegations by ruling BJP, RSS and right wing groups in the state since past many year.

According to Haridwar police, a Muslim youth who was running a gym running from a police party jumped into the village pond and died of drowning. The police suspected him of carrying  him cow meat. A report lodged by Police subinspector Sharad Singh stated that Wasim who was chased by  a cow protection unit of the police was on a scooter and later jumped into the village pond to escape but drowned and died. Later, police team was surrounded by a crowd of 100 to 150 villagers who accused the police team of shooting and beating Wasim and drowning him. The police charged villagers of obstructing their work by beating and abusing them and holding them hostage. Parminder Dobhal, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Haridwar claimed that the post-mortem confirmed death by drowning and no injuries were found on his body.

However, the villagers and family members of the deceased charged that the deceased was brutally beaten up and had broken teeth. Qazi Nizamuddin, Congress legislator from Mangalore said that the villagers who tried to save from drowning were warned by the policemen and some others in plain clothes. These people threatened villagers with firearms if they dare try to save the drowning youth.

Qazi Nizaumuddin charged that the police has no answer to the fact that the deceased was badly injured and his both legs were tied with a rope. He said that there are strong indications that the youth on the charges of cow slaughter was brutally beaten and made to drown by police and alleged cow vigilantes. “ Only a fair magisterial probe will bring out the truth about the death of the youth,” said Karan Mahra, President of Uttarakhand Congress Committee.