Aligarh: Muslim man lynched to death, BJP MLA expresses support for the alleged criminals

A 35-year-old Muslim man, named Mohammed Farid alias Aurangzeb, was allegedly lynched by a mob on the night of June 18. As per the police, he was beaten to death over suspicion of a theft attempt. However, Mohammed Zaki, the victim’s brother, has stated that Farid was just coming back home from work when he was attacked by a mob in the locality. 

The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Sanjeev Suman had told the media that, “On June 18 the police received information that a Muslim youth entered a Hindu’s house with the intention of stealing. He was assaulted and taken to hospital for treatment where he was declared dead. There has been no stone pelting anywhere in the district. There is complete peace at the spot.”

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The incident occurred around 10:15 PM in the Mamu Bhanja locality of Aligarh, and after the incident, security has been heightened and the police as well as the RAF (Rapid Action Force) have been deployed in the respective areas.

Aligarh was on alert as the situation got tense. Members of both Hindu and Muslim communities began to come together at various spots in the city, with some shops even closing down in protest. Members of the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party also held a protest which was attended by the victim’s family members, demanding the arrest of the three other accused. 

On the other hand, the Bajrang Dal leaders have said that they will also launch a protest if the Police are seen by them to be ‘protecting’ those who support the ‘thief.’ BJP leaders, such as local MLA Mukta Raja also gathered together and demanded that no ‘innocent’ should be arrested on fake evidence. 

BJP leaders can be seen here speaking to the media, defending the accused, saying that the ‘children’ who have been arrested should not face prosecution, and also those who have been named in the FIR should not be arrested. 

An FIR has been named with 10 people identified accused, and a dozen more unidentified people in connection with the murder. As of now, reports suggest that the police have arrested six of these suspects. Their names include, Ankit Varshney, Chirag Varshney, Jai Gopal alias Pandit Vijaygarhwala, Kamal Bansal, Dimpy Agarwal, and Rahul Agarwal

The accused have been charged under sections 302 (murder), 341 (wrongful restraint) of the Indian Penal Code. 

As per Hindustan Times, the complaint alleges that the accused ‘gathered together’ with the intention to kill Farid as he was a Muslim, “They (accused) gathered with the intention of killing brother Aurangzeb. They had lathi, stick, hockey (stick) and iron rod in hand and attacked my brother after identifying him as a Muslim, they killed him,” the complainant has alleged in the FIR.” The family of the victim has demanded compensation and strict punishment for the accused. 

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