Posing as researchers doing field work on the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), a team of NDTV reporters spoke to two men accused of lynching and recorded their chilling responses on hidden camera.
This year in June, Qasim Qureshi was killed and Shmasuddin sustained serious injuries when a mob attacked them on suspicion of “cow slaughter” in Hapur, Uttar Pradesh.
Nine men were arrested in the case. The reporters spoke to Rakesh Sisodia, who is one of the four men out on bail. In his written statement before the court, Sisodia has pled innocence and denied being present at the scene of the lynching.
However, while speaking to the reporters, Sisodia bragged about his involvement it the crime, “I told the jailer that they (Qasim and Shamsusddin) were slaughtering cows so I slaughtered them.”
Describing how he got received hero’s welcome when he returned from spending five weeks in jai, Yadav says he felt proud. He also said that he and his “army” will murder anyone who slaughter cows and that they are ready to go to jail “a thousand times.”
Sisodia said that the police is on their side, “Police paksh me hai aur ye sab raha sarkaar kaa dum. Warna police paksh me nai rahti agar Azam Khan baithaa huaa rahta [The police is on our side because of the government’s support. If Azam Khan (minister in the previous Samajwadi Party government in UP) was still in power, the police would not be on our side.]”
The reporters also spoke to Vipin Yadav, one of the nine men accused of lynching Pehlu Khan in Alwar last year. All nine men are out on bail, and Vipin too has claimed innocence.
In the recording made by the reporters, Yadav can be seen describing the crime, “Haan humlog1.5 ghante tak pitate rahe … pehle 10 aadmi aaye phir 20 aadmi aaye waha karib 500 log akatrit ho gaye (We kept beating him up for 1.5 hours. First there were 10 people and then 20 more arrived and then a crowd of about 500 people formed).”