Victims and their families say that the release of suspects on bail contributes to a climate of fear.
Akhlak Ansari , outside his home near Sitamarhi, shares the story of his father's killing with human rights activist Harsh Mander , who has been traveling across the country to offer solidarity and legal assistance to families of hate-crime victims in India. By Niha Masih Niha Masih Foreign correspondent covering India Bio Follow April 6 at 8:00 AM SITAMARHI, India — Last fall, 13 people in the state of Bihar were arrested for being part of a mob that burned an elderly Muslim man to death.
Under the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took office in 2014 and is running for reelection this spring, reports of hate crimes by extremist Hindu groups have increased. Data cited by a Human Rights Watch report last month said that 90 percent of such recorded crimes have happened since 2014.
A photo of 82-year-old Zainul Ansari , who was beaten and set on fire by a Hindu mob in Bihar, as India sees a spike in religion-based hate crimes. Zainul Ansari was killed on a fall day last year, when a religious procession in Sitamarhi during a Hindu festival turned violent. The crowd — which police estimated numbered a few thousand — clashed with the procession as it tried to detour into a Muslim neighborhood. A rumor that Muslims had thrown stones at the procession had enraged the crowd.
A neighbor listening to Nanhe speak said that he had begun taking the longer route into the city of Sitamarhi to avoid passing by the Hindu areas. One of Akhlak Ansari’s uncles pleaded with the younger men milling around to avoid fights with Hindus. Delayed police action was highlighted by the national media in the Ansari case. The first arrests were made almost a month after the crime.
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