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A tweet by @pavan2reach shows police at the scene in Alwar, Rajasthan, India. Image Credit: Twitter

Dubai: The verdict is out.

Alwar mob lynching victim, 28-year-old Rakbar Khan, died of shock and injuries from a ‘blunt weapon or object’, the post mortem report has revealed.

According to Indian news media, the post mortem report states that Khan had fractured bones in one of his arms and a leg, along with 12 injury marks on his body. One of his ribs was also broken. He experienced excessive internal bleeding, which doctors said led to shock and death.

Villagers in Rajasthan’s Alwar attacked Khan and his friend Aslam late on Friday night, on suspicion that they were smuggling cows. While Aslam managed to escape, Khan was thrashed with sticks and stones.

The police intervened within 15 to 20 minutes of the attack, but Khan was only taken to the hospital three hours later, after the police dropped off the cows to a cow shelter, and stopped for tea. Khan was declared dead on arrival.

According to Indian news channel NDTV, action has been taken against three policemen involved, with the suspension of the assistant sub-inspector and two constables were demoted.

But is this enough?

Pradeep Gupta @Pra_kn tweeted: “Very unfortunate, shame on @PoliceRajasthan. They should have shown professionalism with two teams helping both living creatures. Further action should be taken on concerned officials.”

But forget assertive action, top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) officials are now getting into trouble for comments that show them justifying the mob lynchings across India.

Indian National Congress President Rahul Gandhi tweeted about the Alwar lynching yesterday, stating: “This is Modi’s brutal ‘New India’, where humanity is replaced with hatred and people are crushed and left to die.” Within hours, he faced flak from ministers in the BJP government.

Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal, Minister of Railways and Coal, tweeted in reply: “Stop jumping with joy every time a crime happens, Mr Rahul Gandhi. The state has already assured strict & prompt action. You divide the society in every manner possible for electoral gains & then shed crocodile tears.”

Union Cabinet Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani @smritiirani digressed from the issue with the tweet: “Rahul Gandhi’s family presided over the worst form of hate in 1984, Bhagalpur & Nellie & many other instances. It is shameful that he is doing the same through VULTURE POLITICS. Not a single instance goes by where he doesn’t attempt to rupture social bonds for electoral gains.”

Twitterati was furious.

Ishtiaq Khan @ishtiaq787 tweeted: “Utterly shameful and disgusting.”

A few pointed out that lynchings should have been rampant in the north-east and states like Kerala where beef is not banned, but they’re not.

Saurabh Srivastava @saurabhsriLive expressed the irony in his statement: “So please suggest to the government to stop exporting beef in North-East, Goa and many more places.”

India is the world’s third biggest exporter of beef, according to US-based Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

It is time India focuses on its democratic values, social media users say.

Facebook user Kanthi Vijay Kumar wrote: “Who gave them the power to take life? All sections of people entrusted their rights to the sovereignty to safeguard their human rights – if they lose their rights, then what is the use of a sovereign power? So sad we are observing such incidents 70 years post-independence. If these kinds of actions spread, society will remain in unrest. It becomes a threat to democracy, secularism and the right to life.”