87% of victims are Muslims, says activist Harsh Mander

Mangaluru: About 97% of the cases of mob lynching in the name of food habits and religion since 2010 have occurred after Narendra Modi became prime minister, said human rights activist Harsh Mander.

He was speaking at ‘Karwan-e-Mohabbat’ that reached Mangaluru on Saturday.

‘Karwan-e-Mohabbat’ is to express solidarity with victims of mob lynching incidents. The ‘Journey of Love’, traversing Assam, Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, will conclude at Mahatma Gandhi’s birth place, Porbandar, in Gujarat on October 2. The objective of Karwan-e-Mohabbat, explains Mander, is to spread peace and stop the hate.

“About 87% of those who suffered from mob lynching in the last seven years are Muslims. About 8% of Dalits have been killed,” he said and expressed concern over the mindset of the people on such issues.

Further, he said that there is an air of hatred in the country, which is more dangerous than the poisonous gas that claimed the life of thousands of people in Bhopal. “The silence of the majority of the people on the issues has further aggravated the situation. The poisonous air of hatred has made the people develop a mindset to look at Muslims and Dalits as second-rate citizens in the country,” Mander felt.

“Several communal riots have taken place in India after independence. All these riots were restricted to a particular place or language. However, mob lynching has spread its tentacles across the country. All attempts are made to suppress the voice of those who supported Dalits and minorities. The murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh is the finest example for it,” he said.

Mander said that the mob lynching has spread across the world as a Muslim youth was murdered in America as well. The sheer brutality of the attack is numbing, he added.

Thinker G Rajashekar said, “Civilised society has considered mob lynching as a common affair. The acts of these communal organisations are supported by a few media houses as well.”

He accused the civilised society, court, police and mutts of indirectly supporting such acts.

He said that the Mangaluru Chalo protest organised by the BJP was attended by several elected representatives. “While addressing, the leaders only mentioned the names of Hindu organisation leaders who were killed. They did not make a mention of the Muslim and Hindu youths who were killed in the hands of Hindu communal organisations,” said Rajashekar.

Visit to house of Harish Poojary
Karwan-e-Mohabbat during the course of its journey meets the victims of mob lynching.

The team led by Harsh Mander visited the family of Harish Poojary, who was killed during Tipu Jayanthi celebrations in Bantwal.