Amidst the shock and dismay surrounding the brutal deaths in mob lynchings that have occurred over these past few weeks, a young man was brutally beaten to death by a gang of ten in Rajasthan, Hindustan Times (HT) reported. The deceased, a 22-year-old Dalit man who succumbed to his injuries, was assaulted for having an alleged affair with a Muslim woman.
The victim, Khetram Bhim was employed at a Muslim family's house in Barmer. His alleged illicit relationship with one of the women in the family is believed to be the reason behind the gruesome attack. The incident, which occurred on Friday, July 20, was reported in a border region of Barmer district in the western state.
According to the HT report, Khetaram was asked to accompany Hayaat Khan and Sadam Khan to the fields on Friday night. A gang of seven, all belonging to the Muslim community, was waiting for the 22-year-old Dalit in the fields where he was brutally assaulted. Two farmers in one of the nearby fields reportedly arrived at the spot after they heard Khetaram's screams in the night, but were chased away by the attackers.
Based on the complaint filed by the victim's brother, they discovered Khetaram was dead after Saddam and Hayaat Khan arrived at their home on Saturday morning and told them they had murdered the 22-year-old and left his body in the fields.
The jurisdictional police have arrested two people in connection to the incident while search in on for the remaining accused, The Tribune reported. The state has witnessed multiple cases of violence between the Muslim-Dalit communities in the region.
This is the second such incident reported in Rajasthan after a Muslim man was lynched to death in Alwar last Friday. Incidentally, both lynchings occurred on the same day. However, the one to grab headlines was the Alwar incident which led to the debate of 'gau rakshaks' in the BJP-ruled state.
