Muslim men assault Hindu Gaurakshaks with swords and iron rods for flagging their involvement in cow smuggling and slaughtering
Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India 
5 December, 2023
Case Summary
Maharashtra Police booked 16 persons for launching a brutal attack on Gaurakshaks and threatening them with death in the Loni region of Ahmednagar district. The accused attacked local Hindus after the latter called the police and exposed the accused who were caught slaughtering bovines in the Mamdapur village near Loni. The accused attacked the Hindu Gorakshaks using swords and iron rods, causing severe injuries to them. The accused persons were identified as Niyaz Qureshi, Saddam Qureshi, Arbaaz Qureshi, Sajim Qureshi, Saajid Qureshi, Wasim Qureshi, Samir Qureshi, Ajim Shah, Shakir Shah, Jatif Qureshi, Munir Qureshi, Imran Abdul Haq Sheikh, Ansar Ibrahim Sheikh, Najim Fakir Mohammed Sheikh, Muddasar Yasim Sheikh and Hussain Fakir Mohammed Sheikh. As per the complaint, the 16 identified accused and 10-12 other unidentified accused arrived at the spot with sharp weapons and threatened the gaurakshaks as they attempted to release the bovines with the help of the police. The bones and other body parts of the already slaughtered bovines could be spotted at the location. The accused saw the gaurakshaks and launched a brutal attack. The 16 identified accused used swords, iron rods, and sticks to assault the gaurakshaks resulting in severe injuries. The accused also threatened the gaurakshaks saying, “We won’t leave you this time, kill them all.” The Police then tried to settle the matter and rescued the gaurakshaks to a nearby farm. However, the victims had attained severe injuries by then. The Hindu gaurakshaks identified as Appa Naikwade, Ishwar Tilekar, Sairaj Bendre, and others then assisted the Police and showed them the Mamdpur location where the cows were being illegally slaughtered. “I along with Ishwar, Sairaj went with the police in our private vehicle to Mamadpur spot to show the police the location of illegal cow slaughter. The Police saw some of the Bovines tied to a rope for illegal slaughter. However, the accused persons saw us and they launched a brutal attack on us,” Appa Naikwade, one of the victims said.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
There are strong suspicions that the attack against Hindu gaurakshaks was religiously motivated. The cow is a revered religious symbols for Hindus and the slaughter of cows is considered a sin. Historically, cows have been used by Abrahamic extremists to subvert the faith of Hindus, desecrate temples and force fed for the sake of forced conversion. There is a suspicion that the Muslim extremists were slaughtering cows as a part of religious subversion. Further, the gaurakshaks were attacked specifically for their religious identity. However, it is also possible that the Gaurakshaks were attacked because they tried to stop an illegal smuggling and slaughtering ring. Since there is no direct thread establishing this crime as a religiously motivated hate crime, this case is being added to the undecided database.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 10 to 100
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
