In a tragic incident, an imam was reportedly lynched by a mob who accused him of allegedly attacking a Hindu woman on Tuesday in Jharkhand’s Koderma while returning home. The victim, identified as Maulana Akbar Hussain, was reportedly attacked at around 2 PM while returning home after leading prayer.
The imam was returning home on his bike, and on his way, his vehicle hit an auto carrying the Hindu woman, Anita Devi, along with her husband and brother-in-law. The accident resulted in a major injury to Anita Devi.
However, his husband and brother-in-law started accusing Imaam of her condition. Eyewitnesses say that soon, a furious mob came and started hitting Imaam on his face and other parts of his body with bats and rods.
Despite his protests, they brutally assaulted him. Later, Hussain was found by passersby and rushed to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Reportedly, the local police have lodged a probe into the lynching but have denied any communal angle to it. Dumka Superintendent of Police, Rajesh Kumar, said, “Preliminary investigations suggest that this was a case of mistaken identity related to a theft in the area. There is no evidence to suggest that the attack was motivated by religious animosity.”
However, the police have detained several individuals for investigation and reviewing CCTV footage.
Family’s Reaction
While speaking to the Observer Post, Parvez Alam, son of Imaam, said his father was returning home when the incident took place.
“He was bleeding from his nose, but he had no external injuries; it was most likely internal bleeding. We want the authorities to investigate the matter,” Alam said.
Meanwhile, Suraj Das, a local leader associated with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), said, “He did not die in an accident. If it were so, then he would’ve been saved, but the mob hit him on the head.”
“The woman who was hit by the motorcycle was requesting the mob not to beat Maulana, but they continued beating him. The woman was not seriously injured, but the mob beat him because he was a Muslim; they probably saw him wearing a cap and beard,” Das added, and The Observer Post reported.
However, the lynching sparked outrage in the community and among journalists. A journalist, Meer Faisal, took to X formally twitter, and posted, ‘Targeted For Being Muslim’: Imam Lynched To Death In Jharkhand’s Koderma, Police Deny ‘Lynching’ Allegations”.
Another journalist, Waris Masi, tweeted, “The Modi government & Godi Media are responsible for the tragic death of Maulana Sahabuddin, whose relentless hatred against Muslims & minorities has fueled violence & intolerance. If this tide of hatred isn’t stemmed, a day will come when no one is safe. Wake-up silent majority.”
In an X post, Washington Post columnist Rana Ayyub said: “Pehlu, Aklaq, and Junaid received the bare minimum crumbs in this country; their lynching evoked shock and outrage and made national headlines. The lynching of Muslims on the streets normalised to the point that they are not even footnotes in newspapers,”
