Hindus in a state in India that bans the slaughter of cattle attacked and beat seven Christian members of a local tribe, falsely accusing them of being involved in the beef trade.
The victims of the “cow vigilantes,” according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide, belong to the Khariya tribal group in Bheri Kudar village, Simdega district, Jharkhand state.
On Sept. 16, at about 6 a.m., a mob of about 60 to 70 people from another village, led by the business class community called Teli Sahu, stormed the village. The mob began verbally abusing the Khariya tribal group before partially shaving their heads and forcing them to chant “Jai Sri Ram,” which means “Long live Lord Rama,” a Hindu deity.
The perpetrators attacked because they believed the Christians were involved in the trade and slaughter of beef. However, a police investigation found no evidence of slaughter in the victims’ properties, CSW said.
In Jharkhand, India, it is a crime to slaughter a cow under the state’s Bovine Animal Prohibition of Slaughter Act 2005. A conviction is punishable by a prison term of up to 10 years and a fine of up to 10,000 Indian rupees, about $135.
CSW has noted a rise in incidents of mob lynching in the name of protecting cows since the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party government took office in May 2014.
So far, eight people have been arrested for the Sept. 16 attack.
“Widespread attacks against members of the Scheduled Tribes, who are an ethnic and religious minority, must be stopped and their right to choose a religion or belief must be protected like any other Indian citizen,” said CSW founder Mervyn Thomas.
“Although the law gives them special protection, the impunity enjoyed by those who perpetrate these crimes against them is creating a situation in which their identity and livelihoods are under sustained attack, characterized by daily humiliation, harassment and discrimination,” he said.
He urges the Jharkhand state government to develop a plan of action to stop violence against members of groups on the basis of their religion or belief and to ensure that their rights are protected.
“We also call on the Indian government,” he said, “to implement one of the recommendations it accepted during the 2017 Universal Periodic Review of the country’s human rights record at the U.N., to develop a national plan on human rights to prevent violence committed in the name of religion, and other forms of oppression related to religion or belief.”
