Last week, a viral video showing a man being hacked to death and then set on fire in Rajasthan, left everyone shocked.
The brutal incident of hate crime took place in Rajasthan after a Hindu man hacked a Muslim laborer, Mohammed Afrazul, to death by repeatedly attacking him with a pickaxe and a machete.
Shambulal Regar, the self-made advocate of Hindutva and fighter against “love jihad”, even got the whole incident filmed by his minor nephew. He later shared the video on social media with details of the bank account, appealing for donations for his family.
His appeal for donations seems to have reached every state of India as 516 people from across India have deposited Rs 3 lakh in the account of Regar’s wife, Sita.
Police have seized the bank account after the donations were brought to its notice. According to a report published in The Indian Express Anand Shrivastava, IG, Udaipur Range said:
We have frozen the bank account in which money was being collected in the name of Regar. Around Rs 3 lakh was deposited before the account was frozen… We will investigate those who deposited the money to check for any links with the accused.
Rajendra Singh Rao, circle officer, Rajsamand also told the newspaper:
During a preliminary investigation, we came to know that 516 people donated varying sums to the account. There is not a single state in the country from where donations haven’t been received. A substantial portion of the money was transferred through Internet banking.
In his videos, Regar had ranted against love jihad and Islam. He had referred to a woman he called his Hindu sister who he had tried to save from love jihad.
Surprisingly, money pouring in the account of his wife is not the only way Regar has found “sympathy” and “support” from certain groups.
On Thursday, Udaipur police imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC and suspended Internet services in the area after a Hindutva group was planning a rally in support of Regar.
Days after the gruesome killing, an MP and an MLA from BJP in Rajasthan were found to be part of a WhatsApp group in which Regar’s act was praised.
A WhatsApp group, ‘Swachh Rajsamand, Swachh Bharat’, was created by Prem Mali, who claims he is a BJP “booth vistarak” (booth-level worker) in Rajsamand.
“Love jihadiyon sawdhaan, jaag utha hai Shambhu Lal, Jai Shri Ram” read a message on the group. While another post read “Shambhu ka case Sukhdev ladega, aur Shambhu ko nyay dilayega, vakeel ho toh aap jaisa, Jai Mewar, Jai Mavli. Nihshulk ladenge, Vakeel Sukhdev Singh Ujjwal Mavli.”
When contacted to comment on the matter, Sukhdev Singh Ujjwal said:
I have no plans to defend Regar, I am already stuck with a lot of work. I don’t know how this came on social media… Maybe some client did it.
Another report published by BBC said that the young villagers in Rajsamand were supportive of Regar’s brutal act. A villager said that “What Shambu has done is absolutely right. This is what needs to be done to stop love jihad.”
However, some of the members of the Hindu right-wing group have been distanced themselves from Regar. Hemendra Khatri, an office-bearer of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in Rajsamand, said:
A probe has to be conducted by higher officials to ensure that the (Bengali-speaking) laborers are not illegal Bangladeshi migrants.
Mukesh Jain of the Hindu Jagran Manch, Rajsamand said that
Regar was not part of any social organisation and acted on his own. What he has done is extremely wrong. But from his statements, it appears that he believed in Hindutva ideology.
He further added:
It seems that he acted on his own as one knows what’s happening in the country, in places like Kerala where Hindus are being killed.
The police have also arrested two men businessmen, Prakash Singh and Dinesh Singh under section 151 CrPC (preventive custody) for circulating images on Facebook. Gyanendra Singh, station house officer, Bhim station, Rajsamand told The Indian Express
The two circulated pictures of their receipts on social media after depositing money in the account. When we summoned them to the station, they misbehaved with police.
Meanwhile, several political leaders have met Afrazul’s kin in West Bengal and promised to raise the issue in parliament. The West Bengal government has also handed over Rs 5 lakh compensation to his family.
The incident which happened on December 6 is outrightly blood boiling, but it seems people have lost their sensitivity to figure out right and wrong!
Source–The Indian Express, BBC
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