Life in Latur, a city in Maharashtra, known for its historical monuments is normal again. There was little commotion more than ten days back in one part of the city following the suicide of a senior executive with a telecom company who had resorted to this extreme step a day after a road rage incident when he allegedly faced communal slurs. Looking back what followed on that day was nothing unusual by Indian standards.
A car driven by someone calling himself a ‘journalist’ collided with the two wheeler of this young executive. As it usually happens the car owner was keen to settle the issue instantly and he tried to intimidate the young executive.
When he discovered a little later that the two wheeler owner was a Muslim named Amir Pathan , he became more aggressive and abusive, and even questioned him whether he was a “Pakistani or Kashmiri,”. He had no qualms even in filming the incident during this physical assault. (1) This young executive working with a leading telecom company felt distressed by the humiliation and terrified with the idea of video of the incident circulated online, committed suicide the very next day.
The suicide following this incident of intimidation allegedly on communal lines would have been forgotten had it not been the case that the young man’s wife Samrin, 29, who serves as a deputy manager at a private bank in Dharashiv district, had not called him during this unfolding episode. She asked her husband to pick her up from Samvidhan Chowk and during this call she overheard this heated discussion. Her husband was being targeted by an unknown voice and was being threatened that the whole incident would be uploaded on social media and he was pleading with the perpetrator not to hurt him.
The last one heard about the case was Samrin has filed a police case against the ‘journalist’ for abetting the suicide and the journalist was still absconding.
As per the police no suicide note has been discovered and has registered a suicide abetment case based on the statement of Pathan’s wife, who was not present at the spot during the alleged incident.
No direct witness to the alleged intimidation of the deceased has also come forward yet.
The ordeal through which Amir Pathan went through – where he allegedly faced communal assault on a busy street – with onlookers being silent spectators cannot be seen as an isolated event.
It is representative of the overall ambiance in the country where it is becoming increasingly challenging for members of religious minorities to live a life of dignity and as equal citizen of the country. In fact sensitive people have noted how such ambiance of hate had got further exacerbated after Pahalgam terror attack.
Civil Liberty activists have even documented many such cases of hate crimes targeting Muslims and Kashmiris in wake of Pahalgam attack.
One of the most shocking incidents was the mob lynching of a Muslim man from Kerala on April 27 in Mangaluru who according to his relatives was mentally ill. (2) or the way a self proclaimed Gau Rakshak allegedly shot dead a biryani seller and later claimed in a video that it was a retribution to the Pahalgam attack (3)APCR (Association for the Protection of Civil Rights) in its report has documented ‘184 anti-Muslim hate crimes during the period from April 22 to May 8.’ As per their survey there were 84 hate speeches, 39 assaults, 19 vandalism and 3 murders (4)
One also gathers that apart from such stray, individual attacks on Muslims, ‘in retribution to Pahalgam attack’ (as claimed by the cow vigilante from Agra) sectarian forces owing allegiance to the ideology of Hindutva Supremacism had become rather hyperactive to foment trouble at the ground level against sections of Indian society itself.
Prof Shamsul Islam, in his article titled ‘Hindutva zealots plant Pakistani flags in many parts of India for inciting violence against Muslims’ had documented many such cases (5) One of the report it documents tells us about how ‘Pakistani flag was hoisted outside Ludhiana temple by one Vikram Anand and the accused could be easily identified through CCTV’ (6) or how unidentified elements stuck Pakistani flag and army chiefs poster on floor of Jharkhand HC premises. (7)
Later it was noted that it was a template created and developed by Hindutva Supremacist formations during the Partition violence and later, which is often used to communalise and polarise the society further. (8)Perhaps the arrest of the duo, Chandan Malakar (30) and Progyajit Mondal (45), active members of a political party and associated with a fringe outfit called Sanatani Ekta Manch, for putting a Pakistani flag in the toilet of the Akbarpur railway station near North Parganas was one such explosive case, where the executors of this devious plan were caught redhanded. As later events which unfolded later in diffrent parts of the country, it was part of a conspiracy hatched with the intention of fomenting communal divide in Bengal.
Death of Amir Pathan will be slowly forgotten.
May be the small tribe of civilised people who are ready to swear by the Constitution in letter and spirit – would bemoan this unfortunate death and would record his death for posterity.
It is not difficult to predict that Samrin faces a very tough and rather lonely battle for justice.
Whether there will be any let up in the situation?
It is difficult to say.
A certain numbness has definitely gripped our society.
Few years back, we found how a young boy of 15 named Juned was lynched in broad daylight on a railway platform just because he prayed to a different god among a crowd of few hundreds of people. His story is now woven into the tapestry of India’s history. It should not be forgotten.
Neither this fact be forgotten that the Prime Minister – who swears by the Constitution – did not speak a word when women were brutalised in Manipur in full public view, nor did he open his mouth when railway official along with three Muslims were killed in broad daylight by another personnel named Chetan belonging to the Railway Protection Force only.
It was said that these killings by the RPF constable could have been avoided if people in the train were more vigilant towards what is happening around them and had not cared merely about their own lives. A blood thirsty killer was on rampage and none from the hundreds of people in the train tried to stop him.
Whether there was no one the whole train who could have pounced on him or stopped him from his bloodlust, or all of them were just hiding somewhere?
It is rather difficult to believe all these stories!
There is certain gap in it which needs to be filled.
Whether one wants to recognize or acknowledge it or not, it shows how we have become immune to the sufferings of the others.
Remember not only none of the passengers in the moving train tried to show her/his anger towards the murderous acts by the bigoted killer but allegedly even recorded his message on their mobile phones, when the murderer was standing beside the dead body of his victim.
Apropos there is nothing surprising or shocking in such killings nor such brazen attempts at sanitisation of hate crimes nor the open deification of Hindutva Supremacist Icons which is visible among diaspora as well. (9) In fact, since last more than two decades India has witnessed slow spurt in incidents which involved targeting of members of religious minorities by individuals or group of individuals and emergence of many a new Hindutva icons touted as ‘ Hindutva Hriday Samrats’
Right from the barbaric killing of Father Graham Steins and his two children by the rightwing fanatic Dara Singh – wherein this priest from Australia – who was serving the lepers in the region was burnt alive with his two children while sleeping and emergence of various ‘Dara Senas’ to glorify the killings or leading politicians of the times openly asking for a ‘dialogue’ on conversions to understand the ‘roots of the anger’, one can cite similar example. (10)
One has been a numb witness to the way one Afrazul Khan was literally hacked to death by one Shambhu Raigar in Rajasthan and how hundreds of his supporters stormed the courts in his defence or even glorified the brutal killings by taking out a Jhanki in his name. Or how there are instances where cabinet ministers were found to be provoking crowds to ‘kill deshdrohis’
This is a new India, as our rulers like to tell us.
This New India of the BJP is a normal of hatred and bigotry.
It is a new India where Prime Minister of the Country has no qualms in vilifying Muslims as ghuspaithya and (11) and jyada bacche paida karnewale or chief minister of the most populous state explaining political fight as a fight between “Ali and Bajrangbali” (12)
More and more one gets a feeling that India has become a republic of fear instead of republic of hope.
This new normal is an unholy alliance of corporate interests and Hindutva zealots. It is defined by upturning the rule of law, sabotage of institutions, and the creation of an atmosphere of fear.
Today, with its increased influence in this part of South Asia, Hindutva Supremacism yearns to become a Vishwaguru, an idea which regularly pops up statements of its stalwarts or political spokespersons.
Nobody could have a premonition that it is the model of hate and exclusion which it has experimented here and perfected here which it wants to project as panacea of all ills, which it wants to present as THE MODEL for a 21 st century Democracy.
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Subhash Gatade is a left activist associated with New Socialist Initiative
References
- [https://maktoobmedia.com/india/muslim-man-assaulted-called-pakistani-dies-by-suicide-latur-police-say-accused-journalist-absconding/]
- (https://www.thenewsminute.com/karnataka/mangaluru-mob-lynching-activists-accuse-police-of-inaction-against-local-bjp-leader)
- phttps://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/agra/up-gau-rakshak-who-shot-biryani-seller-over-pahalgam-revenge-held-cops-call-it-publicity-stunt/articleshow/120681415.cms]
- .(https://maktoobmedia.com/india/civil-rights-group-documents-184-anti-muslim-hate-crimes-in-wake-of-pahalgam-attack/)
- [https://countercurrents.org/2025/05/hindutva-zealots-plant-pakistani-flags-in-many-parts-of-india-for-inciting-violence-against-muslims-investigate-links-with-rss/]
- [Daily Bhaskar, May 1, 2025. https://www.bhaskar.com/local/punjab/ludhiana/news/ludhiana-hanuman-mandir-pakistan-flag-incident-vikram-anand-arrested-134937289.html]
- . [The Indian Express, Delhi, May 5, 2025. https://indianexpress.com/article/india/pakistan-flag-army-chief-posters-stuck-on-floor-of-jharkhand-hc-premises-9983900/]
- [https://www.newsclick.in/all-india-plan-underway-foment-communal-conflicts]
- (https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/made-in-india-hate-machine-at-india-day-parade-in-new-jersey/cid/1888977).
- (https://www.thequint.com/explainers/why-india-shouldnt-forget-graham-staines-murder-gladys-staines-dara-singh-bajrang-dal-christianity-odisha-saibo)
- (https://thewire.in/communalism/fact-check-modi-muslims-more-children-communal-rhetoric)
- (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/elections/lok-sabha-elections-2019/uttar-pradesh/if-they-have-faith-in-ali-we-have-bajrang-bali-says-yogi/articleshow/68803711.cms)
