On 8th January (Monday), Mahesh Panchal, brother of the Hindu activist and Gaurakshak Bittu Bajrangi passed away in AIIMS Delhi. He had been battling for his life for over three weeks after an attack on his life took place on 13th December. Some miscreants had poured thinner on Mahesh and set him ablaze. His body was brought from Delhi AIIMS Hospital to Faridabad on Tuesday afternoon (9th January).
After getting information about Mahesh’s death, a large number of people from nearby areas gathered at his house to pay their last respects and demand strict action against the culprits.
As per reports, people blocked the Ballabhgarh-Sohna road demanding the arrest of the accused. A large number of people were seen on the road raising slogans like ‘Jai Shri Ram’, ‘Hang Mahesh’s murderers’, ‘Mahesh hum Sharminda hai, tere qatil zinda hai’ (Mahesh we are ashamed, your murderers are alive). During this, the crowd demanding strict action called out the administration’s indifference raising slogan, ‘Muslim mare to lynching, Hindu mare to mon hai, ye Prashashan kon hai’ – ‘If Muslims die then then will be lynching, if Hindus die then there is silence, what kind of administration is this?’
Following the developments, Haryana Police became alert and increased patrolling in the area. They also called personnel from many police stations including Saran police station who reached the spot. To avoid any untoward incident, shops around Chacha Chowk have been closed.
At the same time, ACP met Bittu Bajrangi to ensure that there was no Law and order situation. The administration also issued an appeal to the people gathered there to maintain peace and assured them that the accused would be arrested soon. After meeting the administration, Bittu Bajrangi also appealed to the people to maintain peace.
The miscreants carried out attack after assuring he was Bittu Bajrangi’s brother
Notably, on 13th December, Hindu activist Bittu Bajrangi’s family was targeted and attackers attempted to burn his brother Mahesh Panchal alive by pouring thinner on him in the Dabua Colony in Haryana’s Faridabad. Within hours, victim Mahesh Panchal was transferred to hospital while in a critical condition. He had sustained severe burn injuries which were estimated to be around 60%, and he was in critical condition.
As per reports, the assailants who burned Mahesh first attempted to capture and burn him, but they were unsuccessful. Subsequently, they poured thinner on Mahesh and set him ablaze.
According to media reports, the attackers had first confirmed Bittu Bajrangi’s brother Mahesh Panchal’s identity. ‘Are you the brother of Bittu Bajrangi?’ they questioned Mahesh Panchal. When Mahesh said yes to this question, they poured thinner on him and set him ablaze. Mahesh dived into a drain right away to douse the fire and walked to his house as nobody came forward to help him. When finally Mahesh somehow reached his home, Bittu Bajrangi took him the the hospital.
Meanwhile, on 24th December, the president of Gau Raksha Bajrang Force, Bittu Bajrangi had released a video accusing Alt News’ co-founder Mohammed Zubair and Hindustan Times (HT) of peddling a fake story against his brother.
HT claimed in a report that Bittu Bajrangi’s brother faked the assault, where he sustained 60 percent burns on his body. Zubair shared the information widely on social media and propagated it as truth. However, the police officials investigating the matter rubbished HT’s report and said that the investigation was underway. Talking to OpIndia, the Haryana police had also denied the so-called ‘police statement’ mentioned in HT report.
