A startling new revelation has surfaced in the case of the mob lynching of one Asif Khan in Haryana’s Nuh district, who was allegedly abducted and assaulted to death by a group of people on 16 May 2021. A local from the village where Asif was killed has claimed that he was a member of the gang that killed Nikita Tomar. The 21-year-old woman was shot to death in broad daylight outside the Aggarwal college in Ballabgarh, Faridabad, in October 2020.
Nikita Tomar was killed by Tausif and Rehan after she had resisted their attempts to abduct her. Tausif had then pulled out a revolver and fired at her. The brutal murder was caught on camera. It was reported that Tausif has been harassing Nikita for over three years before finally murdering her.
In the light of the recent lynching of Asif Khan and the controversy that erupted following his death, several other aspects of his background have come to the fore. While media organisations tried to spin the personal enmity case between two gangs that led to Asif’s killing as a case of atrocities committed by Hindus on Muslims, the recent revelations by a local highlighted that Asif was a victim of old rivalry and not killed by a religiously-motivated mob.
Asif was reportedly caught 10 years ago for filming videos of girls changing clothes during a school function. The villagers had then decided to resolve the issue among themselves. However, the rivalry between the girls’ side and Asif had germinated since then, the local said.
Besides, two cases have been registered against Asif. One case dated 17.08.2018 was registered under Section 342, 379-B, S.D., 25-54-59 Armed Act at Sadar Sohna Police Station, while the other one dated 17.03.2020 was registered under Section 148, 149, 323, 348, 365, 506, 34.
One Satendra Awana tweeted that the murder that took place in Abhaypur village (Sohna) in 2010 also had Asif’s name. Asif was also accused of looting people on Kundli–Manesar–Palwal Expressway and a case on the same is still pending with the Uttar Pradesh police. He had also served jail time for one and a half in the case.
It is being alleged that the main reason behind Asif’s murder was his personal enmity with the man name Patwari, who is the main accused in the case. According to reports, two to three months ago, Asif and his associates had tried to kill Patwari but he somehow managed to escape. That incident is believed to be the main reason behind Asif’s murder.
However, soon after Asif’s murder, his family members gave it a communal spin, alleging that their son was killed by a mob of Hindu men, who had forced Asif to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’, a report published in Times of India said.
In response to the incident, the anti-social elements within the Muslim community looted the gym owned by Santlal Sarpanch Kheda Khalilpur and set it on fire. They jammed the Nuh bypass and when the police tried to remove the blockade, stones were pelted at them.
The local says police have taken no action against the rabble-rousers who took to the street and pelted stones at them. Neither have people who uploaded inflammatory posts on social media been arrested. Instead, the local says the administration has arrested innocent youth on the insistence of Asif’s family members.
Soon, various media organisations started attributing Asif’s death to the Hindu mob. Newslaundry columnist Sharjeel Usmani and many others like him started vilifying ‘Jai Shri Ram’, alleging that the pious Hindu slogan was being used as a rallying cry by the Hindu mobs to attack and kill Muslims. Social media was rife with posts that called Asif a victim of ‘Hindu terrorism’, stating that a Muslim man was killed by a rabid Hindu mob for refusing to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’.
Even Punhana MLA Ilyas Khan and his son Javed posted cartoons on social media that were provocative in nature and that instigated communal sentiments and furthered falsehoods of the man being killed for not chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’.
Police rules out the communal angle in murder of Mewat youth Asif
Haryana Police has ruled out any communal angle in the murder of Haryana youth Asif, a bodybuilder by profession, on Sunday. As per reports, Asif and his two cousins were returning from his sister’s house when he was allegedly attacked by a group of men and was beaten to death. According to Police, two cases have been filed against Asif alias Saddu and five against Pradeep alias Patwari, the prime accused in the Asif murder case.
