Hindu Militants Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Lynching a Muslim Farmer

Four men accused of killing Muslim farmer Rakbar Khan were sentenced to 7 years in prison this week. Khan was transporting cattle when he was surrounded by five men and beaten to death in an act of cow vigilantism. The fifth accused party, Nawal Kishore, a local leader of the violent Hindu supremacist organization Vishwa Hindu Parishad, was acquitted on grounds of insufficient evidence. Kishore’s release is part of a broader pattern of absolving political officials accused of anti-minority violence. 

Kishore is calling for a retrial in the higher courts to absolve the four acquitted men. The murdered farmer’s wife Asmina Khan, has also called for a retrial, saying, “The main accused has been acquitted while the others have been given only seven years – this should be increased. This is not justice. My husband was murdered by them.” 

Leader of a Cow Vigilante Militia Charged for Killing 2 Muslims

Hindu extremist Bajrang Dal leader Monu Manesar has been named as a suspect in the brutal killing of Muslim men Junaid and Nasir in Haryana India. A mob of 20 men allegedly set the two men ablaze after accusing them of smuggling cows. Hindu extremist groups have mobilized extensive protests in support their accused leader Manesar, who promotes anti-Muslim hate via speeches delivered on YouTube. Outraged citizens have also staged protests throughout Haryana calling for the arrest of Junaid and Nasir’s killers.