Moradabad lynching: Deceased Muslim man booked, friend arrested for cow slaughter
Moradabad: Days after a 37-year-old Muslim man, Shahideen Qureshi, was brutally assaulted by a mob over allegations of cow slaughter and later succumbed to his injuries, police arrested his friend on Wednesday but have yet to apprehend any suspects in the murder case.
The attack occurred in Moradabad’s Majhola area when Qureshi and his friend, Mohammad Adnan, were allegedly seen slaughtering an ox. A mob attacked Qureshi, leaving him critically injured. Adnan reportedly fled the scene.
Majhola Station House Officer Mohit Chaudhary confirmed that two FIRs were registered in the case. “We took suo motu cognisance and registered an FIR against Qureshi and Mohammad Adnan under charges of cow slaughter. Another FIR was filed based on a complaint by Qureshi’s brother, Mohammad Shahjad, under IPC Section 302 (murder) against unidentified persons,” he said.
Despite registering the murder FIR, no arrests have been made. Additional Superintendent of Police (City) Kumar Ran Vijay Singh said investigations are ongoing. “We have not been able to arrest anybody in connection with the killing of Qureshi so far,” he said.
Following the attack, Qureshi was rushed to the Moradabad district hospital in critical condition but succumbed to his injuries on Monday evening. His body was handed over to his family for burial.
Qureshi, a bodybuilder with a passion for fitness who had participated in various competitions, lived in the Asalatpur locality. He is survived by his wife, Rizwana, and three sons, aged 13, 11, and 9.
Rizwana expressed her anguish over the incident, questioning the mob’s actions. “Who gave them the right to take a human life over the death of an animal? What happened to my husband is cruel. He was killed before his time,” she told The Print.
While police claimed the mob did not know Qureshi’s religion, a video of the assault circulated online shows attackers shouting “Jai Shri Ram” slogans, suggesting communal undertones. The video, purportedly shared by Hindutva vigilantes, has sparked outrage.
Additional Superintendent Singh dismissed claims that the incident constituted lynching, stating, “The technical definition of lynching is if someone is killed over caste, creed, or religion. Here, the mob didn’t know his religion, so it cannot be called lynching.”
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Ajit Pawar's support to Waqf Bill shows his hypocrisy and helplessness for power, alleges Sapkal
Mumbai, Apr 4 (PTI): Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal on Friday said Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's support to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was a sign of his helplessness for power and shows the hypocrisy of his politics.
He also said the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government's ploy to intimidate the Muslim community and seize thousands of acres of land.
The contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on Thursday and by the Rajya Sabha in the early hours of Friday after marathon debates in both Houses of Parliament. The bill aims to streamline the management of Waqf properties (assets permanently donated by Muslims for religious or charitable purposes) with provisions to safeguard heritage sites and promote social welfare.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Ajit Pawar supported the bill in Parliament.
"Ajit Pawar's support to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill is a sign of his helplessness for power. His secular mask has been exposed and he has betrayed the Muslim community," Sapkal told reporters.
Despite joining the government in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Ajit Pawar and his NCP claimed they had not abandoned the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Shahu Maharaj, Mahatma Phule and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. However, their true face has now been exposed, he alleged.
By supporting the BJP-led government's Waqf Bill, Ajit Pawar has completely surrendered to the BJP for the sake of power. He not only betrayed his uncle, Sharad Pawar, by taking the party's name and symbol with the BJP's help, but also aligned himself with communal forces for power, the Congress leader hit out at the deputy CM.
"Ajit Pawar continues to claim that his participation in the Mahayuti government is for the sake of development and that he has not abandoned the progressive ideals. However, his actions tell a different story," he said.
"At an Iftar party, he made bold declarations that those harassing the Muslim community would not be spared or forgiven. But within a few days, his NCP faction supported the Waqf Bill, thereby betraying the Muslim community," he said.
The bill is nothing more than a ploy by the BJP government to intimidate the Muslim community and seize thousands of acres of land, he said.
The BJP government has already set a course to hand over key properties, including those in Dharavi, to a particular industrialist. After acquiring Waqf lands, this government will hand them over to their favoured business tycoons. Ajit Pawar, a senior leader, is fully aware of this, yet he is unable to stay away from power. He has bowed before the BJP and supported the bill, Sapkal alleged.
"Ajit Pawar's actions reveal the hypocrisy of his politics. What he preaches and what he practices is entirely different. People must recognise this deception and stay alert," he warned.
