“India is my country. All Indians are my brothers and sisters.” That’s what we grew up listening to and today they all seem a mere farce, a phrase to be made fun of by bigoted religious fascists and fanatics who believe in proving the supremacy of their religion by inculcating a sense of hatred against Muslims and carrying out hateful crimes.
None of us is blind to the happenings around us but nothing jolted my soul more than the heinous and inhumane murder of Mohammad Afrazul, a labourer from Malda who earned bread for his family by working in Rajsamand, Rajasthan. He was murdered by one Shambhu Lal Regar, a self-proclaimed soldier of Hindutva and in my opinion, a cold-blooded murderer and an ugly worm born out of the politicisation of religion.
As the facts suggest, Afrazul was first beaten and then hacked to death using an axe following which his body was burnt. All of this was allegedly filmed by the 14-year-old nephew of Shambhu Lal. Furthermore, he went on to justify the act by letting people know of the ‘dangers’ of ‘love jihad‘.
Afrazul is survived by his wife and two daughters, one of whom was slated to be married the next month.
You might think all of this to be the work of a single bigoted individual and not a collective voice, right? Oh, I wish it were so!
The video uploaded by Shambhu Lal not only went viral but also gathered support from the like-minded section of the society and I believe this is something we all need to be afraid of.
No major political leader from the ruling party at New Delhi cared to make a statement about the brutal act because apparently, that would not matter in the ongoing Gujarat elections. All that matters is power and not secularism.
The mainstream media has not given the case as much importance as it should because apparently shouts of “Babu! Mat Maro” won’t give as much TRPs as airing the dreamy wedding of Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma in Italy.
Now let’s think of a few things that we really should:
1. Think of his family who was waiting for him back home!
2. Think of his daughter.
How are they supposed to survive when the only earning member of the family is gone?
How are we going to justify his death? Oh yes, I remember. Since he is a Muslim, he shall be hacked to death without a doubt or a tinge of guilt.
The biggest leaders in the country are mum about it and have an immediate response to a bombing in North Sinai but not a filmed murder in Rajasthan!
If all you people still choose to keep quiet and say “It’s none of our business,” it’s going to haunt you some near day in future and that would be the end of a free India.
The citizens of the country must have complete rights to voice their opinions without fear of anti-social elements like this. The murder not only highlights a heinous crime but also the ugly head of rising Hindutva terrorism.
I believe it should be us, the youth of the country speaking up and voicing our concerns in a strong manner at the earliest albeit in a peaceful manner, sending out a message that we are not going to give up and give in to their fanatic idea of a saffron India. India has always been as diverse and united as a rainbow and it should stay so.
For Afrazul, Akhlaq and hundreds of others like them we are their family and brethren. Standing up for their rights must be our foremost priority followed by questioning the regime for their continued silence on these matters.
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