In a shocking hate crime, a twenty-eight year-old’s right hand was chopped off by unknown men for having a ‘786’ tattoo that indicated he’s a Muslim.
As reported by Two Circles, Akhlaq, who is a barber by profession, left his hometown in search of a job and travelled to Panipat, Haryana.
According to Ashlaq’s brohter Ikram, when Akhlaq reached Panipat, he sat down to rest for a few minutes in the Kishanpura area. “Two men came and asked his name. As soon as they heard his name they started beating him. After which Akhlaq was left on the road in the injured condition,” Ikram said.
As per Ikram, Ashlaq was thirsty and asked a nearby house for water. To his surprise, the same men appeared and dragged him into the house, beating him repeatedly. During which, one of the men saw Ashlaq’s tattoo and chopped his hand off with a chainsaw.
Next day at around 5PM, Ashlaq found himself lying at a railway station. His brother was informed by an unknown caller about Ashlaq’s condition and suggested that Ashlaq seems to have met a train accident.
In recent years, India has grown intolerance to Muslims and other minorities post the Hindu nationalist party BJP formed its government in 2014. The country has seen a steady rise in hate crimes against minorities.
Last year, the USCIRF reported in its annual report discriminatory policies, inflammatory rhetoric, and tolerance for violence against minorities at the national, state and local level increased the climate of fear among non-Hindu communities.
