By Muslim Mirror Staff
Maulana Shahabuddin, an imam of a mosque in Barakatha, Jharkhand, was beaten to death by a group of men after his bike allegedly hit a woman, causing her minor injuries in Jharkhand’s Koderma district.
The incident occurred on 30 June when Shahabuddin was returning home from Barkada. He lost balance after an auto suddenly appeared before his vehicle, causing his bike to collide with a woman named Anita Devi, resulting in minor injuries to her hands and nose. Following the collision, Anita Devi’s husband, her relatives, and some locals gathered at the spot and started assaulting Shahabuddin, beating him with batons and sticks.
Suraj Das, a local leader associated with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), told The Observer Post that the assault occurred due to the Muslim identity of the victim.
The police have denied any mob lynching or communal angle. Instead, they stated they would investigate the case as an accident.
“There is no incident of mob lynching in the preliminary investigation. The said incident is related to a vehicle accident for which an FIR has been lodged. Please do not try to spoil the communal harmony by posting such posts on social media,” Hazaribagh Police wrote on X.
Shahabuddin’s son, Mohd. Parvez Alam, told The Observer Post that his father, who worked as an Imam and taught children in Barakatha, Jharkhand, was bleeding from his nose with no external injuries, suggesting internal bleeding.
Lok Sabha MP Chandrashekhar Aazad wrote on X.
https://x.com/BhimArmyChief/status/1808412635878117399?t=xLU7ESNDjDZYEDWw9lrvRA&s=19
He added: “I demand that the culprits involved in this lynching be given strict punishment and that the family of the deceased Maulana Shahabuddin ji should be given ₹50 lakh compensation and a government job for the dependent. The ‘Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023’ law has come into force across the country on July 1, 2024. Jharkhand Chief Minister, take action against the culprits of the late Maulana Shahabuddin who lost his life in the Koderma mob lynching under Section 103 (2) of the BNS.”
“The lynching of Maulana Shahabuddin is another black spot on the government. These days, lynchings are becoming the identity of Muslims in Jharkhand. Earlier too, several such incidents had happened. But what happened to Maulana Shahabuddin has exposed the law and order and system of the Jharkhand government,” a Muslim leader from Jharkhand said in a widely circulated video statement on social media.
This is the eighth case of mob lynching in India since 4 June, the day election results were announced. Seven Muslim men and one Christian woman have been beaten to death by mobs, mostly associated with Hindu right-wing groups. ( With Agencies Inputs )