In one recent speech, Sharma vowed to cleanse public life polluted by western influences and suggested that the Bible and the Qur’an were not central to Indian culture. I may be exaggerating, of course, about the possibility of such a massacre, but does it really matter to the family of Akhlaq how many are killed? What Delhi’s chief minister has got to do with a murder in a neighbouring state when there are enough murder victims – and an epidemic -like dengue scare to boot – in his own city state was perhaps of little relevance to Kejriwal.
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In 2013, 65 people died in sectarian strife around the town of Muzaffarnagar in the west of the state. Yadav’s gesture of announcing a compensation of Rs3mn to the family could hardly hide the stupidity of his police force that sent the meat recovered from Akhlaq’s fridge for forensic testing to verify if it was beef or not.
Within minutes a mob stormed into Akhlaq’s house, vandalised the kitchen in search of beef and beat the 56-year-old blacksmith to death with bricks and stones.
Angry residents of the village came out on the streets after Prakash’s body was found, accusing the police of harassment, adding fresh fuel to an already tense situation.
His widow says he was killed for a crime he did not commit. I have 100-500 cows in my cow shelter. He had consumed poison, say locals, alleging that he was being harassed by the police. They said the actual reason for his death would be known only after the post-mortem. Sangeet Som, the BJP’s local MLA, goes one step further and warns of dire consequences if “innocents are framed” for the murder of Akhlaq.
Many states, including Uttar Pradesh, where Bisara is situated, have banned cow slaughter for more than two decades. Sadhvi Prachi, a leader of the extremist Vishwa Hindu Parishad, told reporters at the weekend that “those who consume beef deserve such actions against them”.
The crackdown has, meanwhile, provided cover for the rise of Hindu vigilante groups. There are Muslims, Parsis, Christians and other religious groups here. It will mean coercion against those Indians who are not Hindus. “This government has set a tone that is threatening, mean-spirited and inimical to freedom”, wrote Pratap Bhanu Mehta, a commentator, in the Indian Express newspaper.
At least 16 men from Bisara joined a new militant Hindu outfit called the Samadhan Sena (Solution Army) in August.
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“Akhlaq should not have butchered a cow”, said Ajay Singh, a member of the Samadhan Sena in Bisara. The assumption of the Hindus that India now has become the land of the Hindus is erroneous.
