On 18th March, a Hindu family’s residence in Uttar Pradesh’s Basti district was burned by a Muslim man named Qasim after a child hit him with a ball while playing. In this arson, three bovine animals tied up in the thatched house of the victim family received injuries and are currently being treated at the animal hospital. Fortunately, the family members somehow managed to leave the home and save their lives. The offender was reportedly apprehended by the police, who did his challan and sent him home rather than to jail.
The matter pertained to the Harraiya police station area’s Sherwadeeh village where all houses except three are Muslims. The entire hamlet is dominated by their community. Rajbali Chauhan charged that a few days ago, his 8-year-old grandson was playing when his ball struck Qasim’s foot. Qasim not only complained about the little boy at home but also threatened the family members. Furthermore, when the child’s father protested, he warned to burn the entire family alive before leaving.
A week later on 18th March late at night, Qasim poured inflammable material on the house and set it on fire while the family members were sleeping inside. The fire spread rapidly but they succeeded in escaping from there. However, three cows that were bound in a shelter were caught in the fire and are being given medical attention from a veterinary clinic at present.
Rajbali Chauhan, the victim, complained to the authorities but to no avail. As a result, members of a Hindu organisation protested inside the police station and then the police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against two individuals. Nevertheless, Qasim was released by the police after a challan on minor accusations.
On the other hand, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar Mishra, the allegations made against the police are unfounded. He stated, “We have filed an FIR and Qasim is the principal accused in it. We received the complaint and took action.” He mentioned that the cattle which were burned in the fire are still undergoing treatment.