Tension gripped Bathinda today after a Muslim fodder vendor set himself afire allegedly after being persistently harassed by ‘gaushala’ workers.
Eid Mohammad, 43, was admitted to the Civil Hospital with 60 per cent burns. A large number of members from the Muslim community also reached the hospital. However, to check any untoward communal fallout, the SP (City) accompanied by DSPs and SHOs remained stationed at the hospital till the victim was shifted to Faridkot Medical College. His condition is stated to be serious.
In his statement, which was recorded by Judicial Magistrate Randeep Kumar, Mohammad accused workers of Bal Gopal Gaushala and one Monu of the Dabwali Road area of harassing him by passing casteist remarks and threatening him and his customers.
Mohammad, a resident of Udham Singh Nagar, said gaushala authorities had set up a green fodder shop recently, which was being run by one Monu. “He would threaten me and my customers and ask them not to buy fodder from me as I belonged to a particular community,” he alleged. “My husband sold fodder at Rs 3 to Rs 4 per kg, Monu started selling it for Rs 2 per kg to lure our customers. Also, we were evicted from a cattle pond around a month ago where we sold fodder,” alleged Shabnam Begum, Mohammad’s wife.
The police have booked Monu under Sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 116 (abetment of offence punishable with imprisonment) of the IPC. The accused is yet to be arrested. “We are enquiring into the facts, including the alleged use of casteist remarks by the accused,” said SSP Rajeshwar Singh Sidhu.
Bathinda MLA Sarup Chand Singla interacted with Mohammad’s family members and assured them of every possible help. Bal Gopal Gaushala president Jeeva Ram said he had no information of what transpired between the victim and the accused and denied any role of his workers in the case.
