In Jharkhand, a case of force-feeding of beef (cow meat) has come to the fore. The incident transpired in the Bariyath Birhor Tola in the Barhi block of the Hazaribagh district wherein people of the tribal community were forced to eat beef. An FIR has been lodged by one Manoj Birhor at Barhi Police Station.
According to the FIR, on Friday, December 30, accused Khaleel Miya, a resident of Dulmaha village, reached Barhi. The accused told the locals that he will be hosting a new year party. Subsequently, Khaleel Miya offered food and liquor to several people who attended his party. However, upon noticing pieces of meat in the food, people protested against Khaleel, who in turn compelled them to eat beef by brandishing sharp weapons.
In his complaint, Manoj Birhor alleged that accused Khaleel Miya brought a cow that was tied at Rajesh Birhor’s residence.
Barhi Police Station informed OpIndia that three days after the incident took place, Manoj Birhor reached the police station on January 2 and filed a complaint against Khaleel Miya. Acting upon Birhor’s complaint, police reached the village and began the investigation. During the investigation, police recovered some quantity of cow meat, bones, and skin at Rajesh Birhor’s residence. Following this, accused Khaleel Miya was arrested. As per local media reports, Khaleel Miya force-fed cow meat to around 50 people and also attempted to convert them to Islam.
Another incident of force-feeding beef reported in Jharkhand
Notably, a similar incident has been reported in the Radhanagar Police Station area in the Sahibganj district of Jharkhand. On December 31st, 2022, a man named Chandan Ravidas was forced to consume beef. The victim claimed in his FIR that the accused Mithun Sheikh, Naseem Sheikh, and 5 others assaulted him and forced him to eat beef following a minor argument.
In his complaint, Ravidas stated that the incident took place when he stepped out to celebrate new year’s eve. Chandan had gone to a shop at Pakinja Mor, which falls under the jurisdiction of Radhanagar police station, on Saturday night. When he went behind the shop to pee, he found 5 people drinking and consuming cow meat. This led to a heated argument between the victim and the accused, following which they forced him to consume alcohol and eat beef. Chandan managed to escape but was later chased down by the accused men. He was then stripped naked and thrashed brutally.
In another incident on Tuesday, January 3, some unidentified persons threw pieces of meat in the compound of a Kali temple in the Dhaka village of Shikaripada block in Jharkhand’s Duma district. Along with the meat pieces, the police also recovered pamphlets with the name and the mobile number of Khalila, the deputy head of Shivtalla Panchayat, scribbled on them.
Reacting to the back-to-back incidents of force-feeding cow meat to non-Muslims, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Babulal Marandi took to Twitter to raise the matter and warn the CM Hemant Soren-led government against its “appeasement politics meant to destroy tribal community.”
“First in Sahibganj and now in Hazaribagh, a tribal youth was thrashed for refusing to eat beef. Who were the ones who beat them? This politics of appeasement which destroys the tribal society will have dire consequences, keep it in writing @HemantSorenJMM Ji,” Marandi’s tweet written in Hindi read.
पहले साहिबगंज और अब हजारीबाग, दोनों जगहों पर गोमांस खाने से इनकार करने पर आदिवासी युवक की पिटाई की गई. उनको पीटने वाले कौन थे ?
— Babulal Marandi (@yourBabulal) January 3, 2023
आदिवासी समाज को बर्बाद करने वाले तुष्टिकरण की इस राजनीति के भयंकर परिणाम होंगे, लिखकर रख लिजिए @HemantSorenJMM जी.@PMOIndia @AmitShah pic.twitter.com/gvEwWdDFI7
Other than Babulal Marandi, BJP’s State President Deepak Prakash also accused the Hemant Soren government of doing appeasement politics and demanded strict action against the culprits.
एक सोची – समझी साजिश के तहत इस तरह की घटनाओं को अंजाम दिया का रहा है, लेकिन तुष्टिकरण की राजनीति को बढ़ावा देने वाले मुख्यमंत्री जी को इससे कोई फर्क नहीं पड़ता क्या ?
— Deepak Prakash (@dprakashbjp) January 3, 2023
हजारीबाग की इस घटना की जितनी निंदा की जाए कम है तथा ऐसे लोगों पर कड़ी कार्रवाई की आवश्यकता है. pic.twitter.com/bjFnC4F91v
“Such incidents were carried out as part of a well-thought-out conspiracy, but does it matter to the Chief Minister, who endorses appeasement politics? There is no adequate condemnation for the Hazaribagh incident, and such people must face harsh punishment,” BJP State President’s tweeted in Hindi.
