Congress slams Uttar Pradesh govt slugfest after ‘lynched’ man booked for dacoity

Mohammed Farid alias Aurangzeb died after he was allegedly beaten with iron rods by a mob over suspicion of theft on June 18.

He said six people held responsible for the lynching had already been arrested and sent to jail following the complaint lodged by the victim's brother Mohammed Jackie. (Screenshot from X/@Benarasiyaa)

Over 10 days after a 35-year-old man was allegedly lynched by a mob in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh, the issue has kicked up a political storm after the deceased was among the nine people booked for dacoity. This comes when the Opposition has been trying to corner the UP’s Adityanath government over the alleged lynching.

Mohammed Farid alias Aurangzeb died after he was allegedly beaten with iron rods and assaulted on the night of June 18 over suspicion of theft at the house of a cloth trader.
An FIR filed at a police station in Aligarh on Saturday charged Farid and eight others with IPC sections 391 (dacoity) and 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty). This was based on a complaint by the cloth trader’s wife, who claims to have been in the house at the time of alleged robbery. Mittal is among the six people arrested in the alleged lynching case.

In her complaint, the cloth trader’s wife claimed that around 10 pm on June 18, 8-9 men barged into her house and took away a gold chain,`2.5 lakh in cash and other valuables at gunpoint. She also accused the suspects of having tried to molest her and other women present in the house.

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Among those named in the FIR is Farid’s brother Mohammed Jackie — a complainant in the alleged lynching case.

Confirming the latest FIR, Aligarh City SP Mrigank Shekhar Pathak said investigations into both cases were ongoing. “We have lodged FIRs based on complaints from both groups. Six people have been arrested for the alleged lynching ,” he said.

The alleged lynching triggered a massive political storm.

State Congress chief Ajay Rai accused the Yogi Adityanath government of “persecuting” minorities. “The Congress is with the bereaved family and will launch an agitation if any attempt is made to implicate the family members of the deceased in fake cases,” Rai said.

Meanwhile, Hindu right-wing organisations such as the Bajrang Dal and the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha have been threatening to launch protests if those arrested for the alleged lynching are not freed soon.

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At a meeting at the residence of the outfit’s chairperson, Gauri Pathak, the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha decided to hand over some bangles to the local BJP representatives — including MPs — to protest the arrest.

“Farid sneaked into a house for theft and was caught. Now, his family is demanding compensation besides a government job. If this is the trend, I urge all the unemployed youths to indulge in burglary. If they die in the process, we will protest for adequate compensation for their family and will ensure a government job to a member of their family,” she said.

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