Thousands of Muslims demonstrated in Jaipur on Friday to protest against the fatal killings of three Muslim passengers and a tribal officer by Railway Protection Force (RPF) Constable Chetan Singh, a supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, aboard a running Jaipur-Mumbai train earlier this week.
Around two dozen Muslim organizations participated in this protest, united under the banner of United Sangharsh Morcha.
The protesters demanded Rs 1 crore compensation, a government job, and a residence for the family members of one of the victims, Asgar Ali.
The family members of Ali also joined the protest.
They have issued a seven-day ultimatum for the government to address their demands, warning of further mass protests if their grievances are not met. The speakers also declared that if their demands are not met, they will march from Bhatta Basti to the Chief Minister’s residence.
Yunus Chopdar, president of the Muslim Parishad Sansthan, expressed that the government representatives are merely spectating by visiting the house of the deceased. Considering the dire situation of the family, he urged the authorities to promptly accept their demands.
Congress MLA from Adarsh Nagar, Rafeeq Khan, joined the protest on the streets of Jaipur on Saturday, urging the Union government to take stringent action against Chetan Singh.
Khan who is also the Chairman of Rajasthan State Commission for Minorities, stated that he plans to meet with the Chief Minister soon to discuss the matter and ensure compensation for the victim’s family.
In response to the organisers’ call, an immediate collection of Rs 1 lakh was made on the spot to support the deceased’s family. VAH vice presidents Imran Nazir and Akram Kayamkhani promptly handed over the amount to them. The gathering was addressed by several speakers, including Mohsin Rashid Tonk, Shoaib Khan, Azharuddin Khan, and Aftab Gauran.
The victims of the fatal train shooting are RPF Assistant Sub-Inspector Tikaram Meena, Abdul Kadar, 64, Asgar Abbas Ali, 48 and Syed Saifullah.
In one of the videos widely shared on the social media platform X, earlier known as Twitter, the killer is seen standing next to a blood-soaked body of Muslim man with his rifle in one hand.
“If you want to live and vote in Hindustan [India], I am telling you, it’s only Modi and Yogi,” he was heard saying in the video.
The fatal shooting has been condemned by Muslim groups, Opposition parties and rights activists, with they, calling it “cold-blooded murders” and “targeted attack against Muslims.”
