While the whole nation was shocked at the lynching of Mohammed Akhlaq, a contrary detail is that over seventy members of a Muslim joint family owe their lives to their Hindu neighbours.
As the communal tension prevailed on Monday, the Muslim joint family were immediately alerted by their Hindu neighbours that a large lynch mob was heading towards the village mosque, which is just a stone’s throw away from their house.
The Hindu men - Vineet Kumar, Umesh Kumar and Ashok organised a dramatic plan to save Abdul Mohammed and his family which included women and children. As soon as Umesh learned about the mob’s attack at around 11 PM while heading back home, all three of them helped the Muslims flee secretively.
While Ashok helped women and children cross a pond to a nearby street, Umesh and Vineet took a utility vehicle to drive them through a narrow road that most villagers don’t access and led them to Dadri. They had to make three rounds since they were 70 members and that too during the terrifying hours, around 2 AM in the midnight.
After reaching Dadri, all the seventy members scattered and travelled to different cities and returned back to Bisada after 2 days when Ashok informed that the situation was under control.
“We would not have survived if we were not helped by them,” Abdul Muhammed told Hindustan Times while recounting their fearful experience.
Nafeesa, one among the members of the Muslim family, has her marriage scheduled on October 11. Breaking further barriers of religion, Vineet has taken the responsibility and assured the family of peaceful marriage ceremony.
The communal tension increased after rumours circled around that a Muslim family stored and consumed beef in their house. This eventually led to a gruesome incident in Bisada, where Mohammad Akhlaq was beaten and stoned to death by a lynch mob. His son Danish, an Indian Air Force corporal too suffered serious injuries.