Indians responded enthusiastically to the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign, on the appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Birju too joined his family in hoisting the India tricolour to mark the country’s Diamond Jubilee of Independence from foreign rule. He is the brother of Loten Nishad, who was shot dead by an Islamist for questioning the role of the Tablighi Jamaat in endangering human lives during the Coronavirus pandemic.
In a tweet on Monday (August 15), journalist Swati Goel Sharma tweeted, “This video makes me so emotional. This family is of Loten Nishad, who was shot dead by fellow villagers for a comment on Tablighi Jamaat in his village in Allahabad in 2020.”
This video makes me so emotional. This family is of Loten Nishad, who was shot dead by fellow villagers for a comment on Tablighi Jamaat in his village in Allahabad in 2020. Remember? Gruesome video of the murder had gone viral. Man is purple shirt is his elder brother Birju pic.twitter.com/nO1zYYVp7K
— Swati Goel Sharma (@swati_gs) August 15, 2022
“Remember? Gruesome video of the murder had gone viral. Man is purple shirt is his elder brother Birju,” she added.
Swati Goel Sharma further informed, “I have been in touch with them since the tragedy. They helped organise an event today in their village where they gathered children and hoisted Tiranga. The family has police protection till date as court hearings are going on and there is risk to their lives.”
Through @sewanyaya, we help them occasionally, especially with lawyers fees etc though they hesitate much to ask. They are some of the nicest people I know.
— Swati Goel Sharma (@swati_gs) August 15, 2022
The Murder of Loten Nishad
In April 2020, a 30-year-old Loten Nishad was shot dead by an Islamist named Mohammed Sona in the Bakshi Moda area in Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. The deceased had merely accused Tablighi Jamaat for endangering the lives of other people.
Loten Nishad was sitting at a tea shop in the village at around 9.30 am. While reading the morning newspaper, he got into a verbal confrontation with some people, over the role of the Islamic Missionary Movement in transmitting the Wuhan Coronavirus.
Mohammad Sona, who was present there, began assaulting the victim. After sometime Sona brought a gun and fired at him from close range. The victim fell on the ground and started bleeding. The accused tried to flee the crime scene but he was overpowered by the villagers.
Loten Nishad was rushed to a nearby hospital but he had died by then. After receiving the information, the cops reached the crime scene. Two, including the accused Sona and his father Qadir, were arrested under the National Security Act (NSA).
The cops recovered a licensed gun from the house of the accused. A large contingent of police was deployed in the area to prevent any communal tension due to the incident. The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, announced a compensation of ₹5,00,000 for the family of the victim.
