The killing of a Muslim at the hands of the Indian police in the northeastern state of Assam sparked widespread anger on social media platforms in several Arab and Islamic countries.
A video spread of Indian police shooting a Muslim at close range, then continuing to kick and hit the man with sticks and feet, with the participation of a photographer who trampled on his wounded body while he was lying on the ground.
Arab and Muslim bloggers from several countries expressed their strong condemnation of the incident, and activists launched the name (#India_Kills_Muslims), to denounce the violent treatment of the Indian authorities towards Muslims during the process of displacing thousands of them in Assam and removing their homes on the pretext that they were built on state-owned land.
According to Indian news websites, the journalist who appeared in the video – which was filmed last Thursday – is called (Bijoy Banya), a photographer hired by the district administration to document the government’s eviction campaign.
Later on Thursday, police said that the photographer had been arrested, while not confirming the victim’s identity or health condition.
Other Indian websites reported that two people were killed in a police shooting as a huge crowd protested the police and local administration’s massive eviction campaign in Gurokhote village in Darang district in Assam state on Thursday morning.
The incident prompted the government of Assam to issue an order for a judicial investigation into the causes and circumstances that led to the police shooting, according to the same source.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister of Assam (Himanta Biswa Sarma) told reporters Thursday evening that the eviction campaign will continue, Hindustan Times reported.
Narendra Modi’s government is still facing accusations of persecuting and discriminating against Muslims in India, and the video sparked outrage on social media platforms.
“The racist Indian government is implementing a new campaign targeting Muslims: demolishing mosques, burning homes and carrying out field executions,” Muhammad Al Yahya wrote on Twitter. Muslims are being exterminated, the nation of Islam is watching, and some of them even support the government of the criminal Modi, and the hypocritical world, as usual, is happy with that.”
Mutlaq Al-Jasser wrote, “Our Muslim brothers in the Indian state of Assam are being subjected to terrorist aggression from the Hindutva extremist terrorist group with a government cover. We must in Muslim countries, governments and individuals, support and support our brothers and lift the oppression from them.”
Asaad Al-Maamari wrote, “If the journalist entrusted with reporting the truth as it is is carrying out the killing of an unarmed Muslim civilian, then what about the extremist Hindu parties backed by the government! Can you imagine the extent of the disaster there?
