Naseem Qureshi was allegedly surrounded by more than 20 people and was attacked by the mob, leading to his death. The sale and consumption of beef are restricted in some parts of the country by local governments.
Cows are considered sacred in Hinduism, which has been the root cause of attacks on those accused of killing them for meat or leather. This has predominantly affected people from the minority Muslim population or those on the lower rungs of the country’s caste system.
The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi’s government has been under scrutiny for encouraging Hindus to follow their religious beliefs and, in particular, his party’s approach to Hindu nationalism.
This approach has been criticised as promoting the idea of Hindu superiority over people of other faiths. The ruling party has been accused of using religious issues as tools to attract the majority Hindu population into their voting bloc, resulting in the rise of extremist groups.
The current situation in Bihar, where the crime took place, is unique since the state is ruled by a regional party belonging to neither the Prime Minister’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party nor the opposition party. As such, this incident could be interpreted as showing that the criminal act was born of bigotry and not political motivation.
