New Delhi: The Vice President of Jamaat e Islami Hind, Malik Moatasim Khan has condemned the cold-blooded and targeted shooting of three citizens belonging to the Muslim community and an officer of RPF on a running train by an Indian Railways Protection Force (RPF) constable. The RPF constable also killed his senior assistant sub-inspector.

In a statement to the media, the JIH Vice President said “We condemn the cold-blooded and targeted shooting of three citizens belonging to the Muslim community and an RPF officer on a running train by an Indian Railways Protection Force (RPF) constable. Media reports about the heinous manner of the killing suggest that it was a hate crime wherein the accused hunted out passengers who resembled Muslims and shot them in cold blood.

Jamaat feels that this is another chapter of the continuous onslaught of organised violence against Muslims and is becoming the new normal in our country. The radicalisation and polarization coming from the upper echelons of our power centers has resulted in this sorry state of affairs.”

Malik Moatasim Khan said, “It seems that identifying the perpetrators of hate crimes especially those against Muslims as mentally unstable and psychic has become the standard operating procedure to ward off any allegations of radicalization against a particular community. We are able to see through this fabricated hoax.

The incident further begs the question about how these “mentally ill” and “short-tempered” individuals are armed with guns and entrusted with the safety and security of our citizens.

Reports about the accused praising the Prime Minister and the UP Chief Minister after the killing are extremely troubling and damaging. Jamaat feels that the entire climate in the country that has been created through the policies of exclusion, majoritarianism, division, hate, and polarization further exacerbated by a pliant media, jingoistic films, literature, and books is leading to such incidents.
We strongly feel that Media’s continuous hate-mongering is at the crux of this fiasco, thus Media should observe restrain and Media houses flaunting irresponsibly should face action.
We also demand RPF should compensate the families of the victims and offer suitable employment to their kith and kin. We also demand an independent high-level judicial enquiry into this incident and the punishment to the guilty.