ASIF KHAN LYNCHING: A FACT SHEET

SDPI vice President and other leaders visited family of Late Asif Khan in Mewat on 10th of June 2021

New Delhi, 19tth June 2021: Asif Khan aged 27 years, was known and promising body builder and trainer. He had been operating gymnasium at Nuh, Mewat in Haryana. Asif Khan was kidnapped in the execution of pre-meditated plan of murder by allegedly a gang of more than a dozen people, having a past history of heinous crimes of kidnapping, extortion and violence in the area, belonging to five different villages. They were said to have mysteriously gathered at a place where by Asif Khan was tracked to go back to his residence at village Khera Khalilpur from Sohna at 8 pm on16th of May,2021. After purchasing medicines as he had been suffering with Typhoid.

Asif Khan, driving a Centro car accompanied with his immediate cousin, Rashid Khan,23 and also Asif 25, a neighbour, coincidentally given lift in return leg of journey, was intercepted and lethally attacked after leaving Sohna. The main target though was Asif Khan yet other persons found within car were also attacked. Asif alone was forcibly shifted into Scorpio car of attackers and taken into  remotely forest area where he was again beaten and fatally attacked with sticks, iron rods  and other arms. Multiple fractures and injuries into his fingers, arms, legs and ribs were brutally caused till death. Even his face was damaged and disfigured. The attackers were overwhelmingly busy with Asif Khan meanwhile other two persons succeeded to slip off and to escape. They informed to the family regarding the attack and the abduction of Asif Khan. The family made report to the police of the area but on the information of a passer bye, the body of Asif Khan was recovered from the spot by the Police of Sohna at about 10 pm at same night.

First Information Report was lodged naming 14 accused persons and thereafter 11 of them were arrested. BJP leaders led by MLA of the area, kunwar Sanjay Singh started communalising moves by organising a series of  meetings in villages and cultivated communally vicious atmosphere in the support of the accused persons. A Mahapancayat was called on 23rd of May where the president of Karni Sena, Surajpal Singh Amu was made the chief guest. Amu is notorious for making hateful, castiest and violent utterances. A number of speakers openly spread communal venom at the illegally held assembly, convened in total violation of section 144 CrPC. The videos of the speeches made at Mahapanchyat have been widely circulated. The speakers threatened that if accused persons were not released unconditionally, the Police Station and Police Posts shall be set to fire. The administration and police was so pressurised and terrified that four accused persons instantly released from jail without any court proceedings. The Police said they were innocents.

Gujars, an intermediary caste belonging to backward section have no historic enmity against Muslims. They have been inhabitants in and around Delhi in sizeable population even during Saltanat of centuries without any major complaint and have been enjoying landed properties in and around Delhi. Gujar caste has recently been fielded to dump all the filth of Sangh and ferocious enmity upon muslims and conspicuously been noticed while taking a leading role during February riots of 2020 in Delhi. Mewat where muslims are about 85% of population, has been facing a number incidents of lynching’s and other criminal attacks. The attack on Asif Khan also allegedly involved Gujars. Like other cases every collective and targeted attack on muslims is aftermath diverted to communal polarization by follow up programmes mostly involving the individuals and organizations to grant heroic and Hindutva tag to the sheer criminality.

The justice appears elusive almost in every criminal case and not conclusively delivered to any of the communally targeted, collectively engineered and politically motivated, navigated and controlled cases of killings happened in all the parts of Mewat which is divided into  four states, Haryana, Rajasthan, UP and Delhi. Meo people and Mewat region had mischievously been denied basic rights of development for centuries pushing it to one of the most backward status in the country but the Meo people feel they are recently picked up to perpetuate the targeted violence in multiple forms. Another promising youth, Junaid of Punhanna had also allegedly fallen prey to the violence and highhandedness of Police on 12 May. There has hardly been delivered substantial justice to Mewatis in any case of hate and violence and discrimination.