They later burnt his body in full public view. Worst, the administration not only failed to stop the rioters, it tried to suppress the news of this horrific murder.
If this is not terrorism, what else is? How can members who were part of a religious procession turn into monsters?
The definition:
Terrorism is unlawful use of force or violence that is aimed to scare, terrorize and instill fear.
So what happened in Sitamarhi on October 20. The right-wing extremists insisted on taking the Durga Puja procession to a Muslim locality.
" According to the local police officials, a prior warning had been issued to avoid any clashes.
Upon being denied entry, the procession turned rowdy, leading to clashes....", reports The Quint.
The elderly man, Zainul Ansari, was returning from his daughter's home. Those who were part of the procession, found a Muslim man alone and allegedly lynched him.
Then, Muslim houses were attacked. All this happened after those in a Durga Puja procession turned violent. Police officials' role is questionable as despite earlier warning the procession went and they could not prevent this mindless violence.
Further, local administration apparently tried to hide its failure. The news was suppressed, internet was shut in the area. It took over ten days before the news came out of the State. It's almost unbelievable.
Not only the level of hate, radicalization and communalism but also administration's carelessness and how media outside Bihar couldn't get information about it. Now the arrests have begun but shouldn't senior officials' responsibility be fixed.
This report on the portal was the first to reveal the horrific nature of crime. Strangely, the photographs and video that were crucial evidence, were deemed 'inflammatory' and the portal was sent notice by police.
Speaking up is even more important, as there is threat, fear and officials--after their failure, try to hide the truth. That, people in religious procession can resort to such crimes against humanity, is an example of growing madness.
And, instead of action against officials, attempt is made to silence the media.
This didn't happen in Port Blair but in the heart of North India. When the Quint mentions, ' The incident, however, went largely unreported ', it shows the sorry state of affairs. Who had stopped local media or Patna-based correspondents from reporting? Deeply disturbing on many counts.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar who claims to be a secular politican, must take action against police officials responsible for the incident. It's a test case for him. Sadly, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav also remained silent.
READ: ELDERLY MAN LYNCHED IN SITAMARHI, BODY BURNT