Anushka Pathak – Mumbai Uncensored, 24th February 2022
A Janata Dal United (JDU) worker was brutally murdered on 16 February in Samastipur district of Bihar. Police recovered the burnt body of the JDU worker from inside a house built at a secluded place near the Budhi Gandak river in Vasudevpur village of Kalyanpur police station area. The deceased was identified as 34-year-old JDU leader Mohammad Khaleel Alam Rizvi. The incident is from Hudhiya village of Musrigharari police station area.
After the incident, a social media video went viral. After this, Khaleel’s murder was described as an incident of mob lynching. It was given a communal angle. It was called killing in the name of cow slaughter. Australian author CJ Werleman also shared the video, writing that a Muslim man kept begging for his life and ‘Hindu mob burnt him after killing him’. However, Samastipur Superintendent of Police (SP) while talking to the media denied the communal angle in the matter.
“There is no communal approach in this. You must have found a viral video about beef-cow slaughter. His motive behind making this video viral was that if the police catch him and reveal the incident, then we will make it viral on social media. Due to which the attention of the police will be diverted from their side and people will also get their sympathy.”
According to the SP, the murder of Mohammad Khaleel Alam was carried out by five people together. In which the police have arrested 3 accused. Raids are being conducted to arrest others. He said that on February 17, an FIR was lodged at Musrigharari police station. It was said that Khaleel had been kidnapped. The call came for a ransom. A ransom of Rs 2,75,000 had been demanded. After this the police started raiding. On February 18, the police took some suspects into custody and interrogated them where they said that after killing Khaleel, the dead body was buried. He further said that the police have started raids for arrest by registering an FIR against the youth who made this video viral.
In this regard, the police also held a press conference and issued a press release, so that correct information could reach the people. According to the press release, one of the arrested accused, Vipul Jha, had confessed that he along with four others had killed Khaleel on the night of 16 February itself. An SIT has been constituted in the matter.
Some media reports said that Khaleel had taken money from Vipul and his friend in the name of getting jobs. But when Vipul and his friends started demanding money for not getting a job, he started avoiding them. After which everyone kidnapped him to extort money, beat him and killed him.
