On 8th January (Monday), Mahesh Panchal, brother of the Hindu activist Bittu Bajrangi passed away in AIIMS Delhi. He had been battling for his life for over a month after an attack on his life.
Notably, on 13th December, Hindu activist Bittu Bajrangi’s family was targeted and attackers attempted to burn his brother Mahesh Panchal alive by pouring thinner on him in the Dabua Colony in Haryana’s Faridabad. Within hours, victim Mahesh Panchal was transferred to hospital while in a critical condition. He had sustained severe burn injuries which were estimated to be around 60%, and he was in critical condition.
As per reports, the assailants who burned Mahesh first attempted to capture and burn him, but they were unsuccessful. Subsequently, they poured thinner on Mahesh and set him ablaze.
Incidentally, according to media reports, the attackers had first confirmed Bittu Bajrangi’s brother Mahesh Panchal’s identity. ‘Are you the brother of Bittu Bajrangi?’ they questioned Mahesh Panchal. When Mahesh said yes to this question, they poured thinner on him and set him ablaze. Mahesh dived into a drain right away to douse the fire and walked to his house as nobody came forward to help him. When finally Mahesh somehow reached his home, Bittu Bajrangi took him the the hospital.
After setting him ablaze, the accused escaped. According to reports, the white WagonR used by the attackers had no registration number. Moreover, two bikes had followed him suspiciously to the location.
Bittu Bajrangi further stated that he had been receiving death threats for long with those behind the threats asking him to “take his slippers back (Chappal lekar jao)”. The code ‘chappal’ was used by the perpetrators to remind Bajrangi about the slippers Hindus had left outside the temple when the Islamist mob attacked them during Nuh violence last year.
Bittu alleged that the attackers who killed his brother were all involved in the 31st July violence unleashed by Islamists in Haryana’s Nuh district.
Who is Bittu Bajrangi
Bittu Bajrangi is a Hindu activist. After the violence that erupted in Nuh in the Mewat region, Islamists tried to pin the blame for the anti-Hindu violence on him and paint a target on his back.
Subsequently, he was also arrested in a case of a clash with the police. At present, Bittu Bajrangi is out of jail on bail. In this case, all Hindu organisations supported him. Initially, the rumour spread rapidly that Bittu Bajrangi was associated with the Nuh violence, but the police made it clear that action was taken against Bittu Bajrangi not related to the Nuh violence, but in a different case of a clash with the police.
