NEW DELHI: A Hindu extremist mob brutally beat up a laborer to death after identifying him through his Aadhar card in the Indian state of Odisha.
According to media reports, the 30-year-old laborer, Jewel Sheikh, was having tea at a hotel in Sambalpur district when a group of locals asked him for a beedi (traditional Indian cigarette). During the interaction, the attackers asked for his identity card and began questioning him about his place of origin.
Jewel Sheikh, a resident of Murshidabad district in West Bengal, had come to Odisha for work to support his family. The attackers insisted that he was from Bangladesh, claiming that his appearance and accent made him look like a Muslim from Bangladesh.
In response, Jewel Sheikh clarified that he was indeed a Muslim but belonged to a village named Chak Bahadurpur in West Bengal, and not Bangladesh. He even had proof of his identity.
At the time of the attack, Jewel’s fellow worker, Platu Sheikh, tried to intervene and convince the attackers that Jewel’s identity was legitimate. However, the mob refused to listen and began assaulting Jewel Sheikh with sticks, rods and other weapons.
The laborer was left severely injured and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The cause of death was reported as head injuries from the blows with sticks.
