Bareilly: Islamists lynched Tejram over stopping them from playing drums outside Hindu temple during Muharram

In Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district, a tragic incident of mob lynching occurred on July 18, when a Hindu youth named Tejram was brutally attacked by a Muslim mob. This violence followed a dispute over the playing of “dhol” (drums) outside a Hindu temple during a Muharram procession on July 17 in the Gausganj area.

The Incident

The conflict began when Hindus objected to Muslims playing dhol in front of a Hindu temple during the Muharram procession. An altercation began, leading to the Muslim group attacking the Hindus, pelting stones at their houses, and harassing women. The situation escalated despite police intervention.

Later, a larger group of Muslims from neighbouring areas, including Rampur, CB Ganj, Mirganj, and Devarniya, joined the fray. They attacked Hindu houses on the night of July 18 with stones, sticks, and other weapons.

Lynching of Tejram

During this attack, Tejram sustained severe head injuries. An IndiaToday report stated that around 80–100 individuals arrived in the Gausganj neighbourhood, pelting stones, vandalising houses, and beating the residents.

Villagers reported that the attackers dragged Tejram from his house to a mosque and brutally thrashed the 26-year-old youth. Tejram’s family mentioned that he was attempting to defuse the situation.

He was rushed to the hospital, but Shahi Police Station in-charge Amit Kumar reported that he succumbed to his injuries during treatment. The body was subsequently sent for a postmortem examination.

Postmortem Report Findings

The postmortem report highlighted the brutality of the attack. Tejram’s skull bones were damaged due to strikes from large stones and iron rods, causing blood clots in his brain. His hands and shoulders were also bleeding from his attempts to escape.

Police Action and Arrests

Following the mob violence, the Hindu community filed a case against 50 identified and 15 unidentified individuals. The police began an investigation and arrested around 35 persons, including Afsar Ali, Imran, Mukhtiar Ali, Abdul, and Salam.

During some arrests, the accused opened fire on police personnel, prompting retaliatory fire that injured one of the accused, Alamgir. Subsequently, Najakat Ali was also arrested, and a constable was injured by shrapnel in the crossfire.

Demolition of Illegal Structures

On July 23rd, the Bareilly district administration demolished over nine houses belonging to the Muslim accused in the case.

Previously, 11 buildings constructed on government land by the accused had been razed. During this demolition drive, the house of the main accused, Bakhtawar, was also destroyed. Additionally, the illegal houses of other accused individuals, including Babu, Hasan Ali, Kader Ali, Hanif, Haseen, and Riyasat, were marked for demolition.