Jain man dies after attack in anti-Muslim hate crime

IN A VIRAL VIDEO, THE ACCUSED WAS HEARD ASKING THE MENTALLY ILL MAN IF HIS NAME WAS MOHAMMED, AND SLAPPING HIM ON THE HEAD AND EARS REPEATEDLY

Shruti Tomar and Mustafa Hussain

BHOPAL: A 65-year-old man was found dead in Madhya Pradesh’s Neemuch district and a case of murder was registered after a video purportedly showed a man slapping the old man repeatedly and asking whether he was a Muslim, police said on Saturday.

Bhawarlal Jain of Sarsi village in Ratlam district was found dead on Friday under the jurisdiction of Manasa police station.

“After performing the last rites of the deceased, his family members came to know about the purported video and informed police about it,” said KL Dangi, the officer in-charge of the precinct.

On Saturday, a case was registered against two suspects under sections 302 (murder) and 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code, police said.

The 59-second video that went viral on social media purportedly shows the accused — identified as Dinesh Kushwaha, the husband of a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporadead tor — slapping the victim repeatedly while asking for his Aadhaar card, Dangi said.

The accused was heard asking the mentally ill man if his name was Mohammed, and later started slapping him repeatedly while asking for his Aadhaar card, he added.

Later in the day, Kushwaha surrendered and was questioned at Manasa police station. He was arrested after questioning, said a senior officer. The second accused is yet to be identified.

HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

“The victim had gone to Chittorgarh (in Rajasthan) with his family. He went missing on May 16. On Thursday, he was found in Manasa area of Neemuch district,” said Dangi. “We are examining the video. Strict action will also be taken against the accused.”

The opposition Congress attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party administration over the deteriorating law-and-order situation in Madhya Pradesh.

“What is happening in Madhya Pradesh after all? Tribals were lynched in Seoni, incidents of Guna, Mhow, Mandla and now an elderly person whose name is said to be Bhanwarlal Jain in Manasa of Neemuch district of the state,” state Congress chief Kamal Nath tweeted.

“In MP, there is no law and order and a man was beaten to death just for not showing his Aadhaar Card. After Muslim, Dalit and Tribal, now a Jain was attacked. In MP, nobody is safe...,” said Congress legislator Jitu Patwari.

The guilty will not be spared, the state’s home minister Narottam Mishra said. “It is a very tragic incident. An elderly man was beaten before his death. Police registered the case and investigation is on,” Mishra said. “The guilty will not be spared.”