Multiple incidents of minority, namely Muslims and Dalits, being thrashed, beaten and harassed on suspicion of consuming beef or wearing skull caps have surfaced over the course of the last few days.

This comes in sharp contrast with Prime Minister’s diktat to newly appointed MP’s to win the trust of minority communities.

“The way the poor have been cheated, the minorities have been deceived the same way,” Prime Minister said, “We have to earn their trust.”

Barely 5 days since then, many instances of violence against minorities have come to light.

Gurugram: Man forced to Chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’

On May 25, a Muslim Man, Mohammad Barkat, was beaten and forced to chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in Jacubpura Gurugram, while he was coming back from the Mosque. He was called out with offensive words and was questioned for wearing a skull cap.

No arrest has been made so far in the case.

Madhya Pradesh: Group Beaten Up By Cow Vigilantes

In Seoni, Madhya Pradesh, on May 22, three people, two men and a woman, were allegedly beaten up on suspicion of possessing beef. While a group of men tied two men to a tree and beat them up, one of them was hit with sticks and pushed to the ground. The attackers also attacked the woman and forced all three of them to shout ‘Jai Shri Ram’.

The police have arrested the attackers and the victims have also been kept in custody to verify the samples of meat possessed by them. A case has been filed on the attackers and justice is awaited.

Bihar: Man Shot For Muslim Identity

On May 26th, a young Muslim man, Mohammad Qasim was shot dead in Begusarai, Bihar after he was asked his name. According to The Hindu, the young man was allegedly attacked in Kumbhi village and an FIR was filed in the Cheria- Bariarpur district, but no arrests have been made so far. According to the victim, no one came to his rescue.

Police informed that Qasim, a vendor sells household goods in the rural areas on a cycle, and was attacked because of a disagreement on payment.

Jharkhand: Arrested for Choice of Food

On May 25, Jeetrai Hansda, a teacher in Jharkhand was arrested over his 2-year-old facebook post in which he expressed his concern over the growing hysteria against beef eating in Jharkhand and across the country. “As a Santhali, eating beef is part of my culture,” he mentioned in his post. “If Santhalis are Indian, there should be no laws which force us to adopt Hindu customs. I reject that.”

Jeetrai was seen as hurting religious sentiments and promoting enmity among people.

Gurugram: Muslim Family Harassed

On March 22, a video went viral on social media in which 20-25 armed people barged into a Muslim house in Dhamaspur village, Gurugram. They callously thrashed all the family members and asked them to go to Pakistan.

Vadodra: Mob Lynches a Dalit Couple

Another incident took place on May 23, where a Dalit couple in Mahuvad village, Vadodra complained that they had been thrashed by a mob of 200 to 300 upper caste people after the husband updated a Facebook post protesting about the alleged caste-based discrimination at the village temple. In that post, the man, Pravin Makwana, had complained that the Dalits did not have access to the temple for their weddings.

Worrying Trend

The magnitude and severity of cow-related violence, Muslims being lynched for consuming beef and minorities harassment has increased at an unprecedented rate.

Hate crimes committed because of religious differences have reached a new high of 93 in the year 2018, according to a multi-organisational project multi-organisational led by FactChecker.in. These figures highlight a worrying trend for in most of the incidents, 75% of the victims were minorities.

Also Read: “When Mob Lynches A Person For The Food He/She Has, Constitution Is Lynched”: Justice Chandrachud