In a horrific incident in Madhya Pradesh, a Dalit teacher named Ajay Muda was allegedly stabbed to death by some cattle smugglers in Damoh, Madhya Pradesh after he tried to stop them. According to reports, the incident happened on December 28, when Ajay Muda and Sanjeev Muda reportedly received information about some people trying to smuggle cattle in Rajnagar area. The two tried to stop the smugglers but they called more people at the spot and attacked the victims with sharp weapons. The victims were rushed to the district hospital from where they were referred to Jabalpur for treatment where Ajay Muda passed away and Sanjeev Muda continues to be in a critical condition.
Several Hindu organisations started protesting in the district hospital on receiving the information about the brutal attack on the victims and demanded immediate action against the culprits. They threatened to continue protesting in the hospital until immediate action was taken by the police against the culprits. Family of deceased Ajay Muda sat in protest refusing to cremate his body demanding immediate action against the culprits. Several Hindu organisations and members of political parties also joined the protests. His body was taken to Ambedkar chauraha by the family members who reiterated their demands there. ASP Shiv Singh and CSP Abhishek Tiwari tried to convince the family of the deceased to cremate the body assuring that swift action would follow. Thereafter, the body was taken for cremation.
Locals call it a case of mob lynching
OpIndia talked to a local who said that the incident happened at 9 pm on December 28 in Chainpur area. He alleged that the victims were attacked by a mob and that this was a case of mob lynching. He told that the deceased was a Gaurakshak and was associated with the Gaurakshak Abhiyaan. “There was a mob of attackers. This is a mob lynching. This is the area of Kasai (butcher) community. Deceased Ajay was a Gaurakshak. He was not that active but was associated with Gaurakshak Abhiyan. Locals believe that this was a pre-planned attack. He was brutally stabbed to death. He (Ajay Muda) shielded his nephew (Sanjeev Muda)”, said the person. As informed by our local correspondent, Hindu organisations are enraged over the incident and the situation is likely to deteriorate. Media reporting of the incident has been restricted by the administration.
An FIR was registered on the complaint of maternal uncle of the deceased who used to teach at a middle school in Silaiyya. Some of the people who have been booked in the case have been identified as Riyaz Kasai, Shamim Kasai, Qayyum Kasai and Baba Kasai. They had reached at the spot with weapons. BJP leader Siddharth Malaiya had alleged that police have named Vijay and Ravi Ahirvar as accused while the two were not even present at the spot. SP Hemant Chauhan assured that action will be taken against culprits and the names of those not involved in the incident will be removed after investigation.
Police’s version of the incident
SP Hemant Chauhan said that police conducted raids at the Kasai Mandi area at night and searched for culprits. A case has been filed under sections 307, 302, 323, 147, 148 and 149 of the Indian Penal Code against six identified and several unidentified persons. According to police, seven persons have been arrested so far. Speaking to OpIndia, police denied the allegations of the attack being a pre-planned one. Police have also rejected any communal angle in the case. Refuting the allegations levelled by Siddharth Malaiya, police said that attempts were being made to give a communal colour to the incident and the incident had no connection with cow slaughter.
Presenting a totally different version of the incident, police told OpIndia that on the day when the incident happened, Riyaz Quraishi and Vijay Ahirvar were returning from market at night. They started urinating in front of Ajay Muda’s house where a woman was standing whom the two did not see in the dark. Muda family objected and this resulted in a fight. Riyaz and Vijay ran towards Kasai Mandi. Their family members also reached Kasai Mandi and fight broke out between both the parties. Being from the butcher community, one party had sharp weapons. Police have claimed that this was a spontaneous incident.
