Trigger Warning: Use of Expletives
The June 12 conviction of 14 men for the 2022 lynching of a Muslim truck driver in Madhya Pradesh has triggered a coordinated wave of communal abuse, threats and misinformation directed at the judge who delivered the verdict.
Within hours of additional district and sessions judge Tabassum Khan sentencing 14 convicts to life imprisonment in two different cases on the same day -- S. T. No. 35/2022 and S.T. No. 4/2023 -- videos and social media posts began circulating that targeted her religious identity. The posts referred to her with communal slurs, dehumanised her, issued open threats of violence, stoked fears of "jihad" and demanded the release of the convicted men.
The case stems from the lynching of Nazir Ahmed, a resident of Amravati, Maharashtra. On August 3, 2022, Ahmed and two others were transporting cattle from Nandarwada to their home state. In Barakhad village near Seoni Malwa in Madhya Pradesh's Narmadapuram district, they were intercepted by a mob that suspected them of illegally smuggling cattle. According to survivor Sheikh Lala, a group of around 50 to 60 people blocked their vehicle and assaulted the three men without asking any questions. Ahmed later died of his injuries, while the two others survived.
Following the investigation, police registered an FIR against fourteen individuals. After nearly three years of trial, the court found all fourteen guilty of offences including murder, attempt to murder, rioting and wrongful restraint, sentencing each of them to life imprisonment.
Those convicted are Deepak alias Baba Kevat, Ajay alias Ajju Rathore, Prakash Kaushal, Pawan Bathav, Amar alias Bhola Bathav, Kanhaiya Bathav, and Ballu alias Anuj Raghuvanshi in one case and Raju alias Rajendra Kaushal, Akash alias Pintoli Bathav, Gaurav Yadav, Akash Saraathe, Chetan Maratha, Devendra alias Chotu Kori, and Sandeep alias Raja Kaushal in the other. They are all residents of Seoni Malwa.
Immediately after the verdict, relatives of the convicts staged a protest outside the court premises and attempted to stop the police vehicle transporting the men to prison. The online campaign against Judge Khan followed soon after.
The Seoni Malwa police have since registered an FIR against unidentified persons over the communal campaign targeting the judge, invoking Sections 196 and 302 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The FIR pertains to social media posts that allegedly promoted communal hatred and threatened public order following the judgment.
Wave of Threat Videos full of Expletives
The verdict sparked a wave of inflammatory rhetoric from Right-wing organisations and Hindutva activists, who called for the release of the 14 men convicted in the lynching case.
The video that reached most people was of a man named Thakur Vishal Singh. Speaking into his phone camera, he openly used expletives and communal slurs while issuing threats to a sitting Judge.
“Listen, mulli m********d, if our 14 brothers have not been released in 14 days, then there will be bloodshed across the country. Hindus, look — the ones who commit cow slaughter, those m*********s are roaming freely, and today one mulli m********d has become a judge, and she has imprisoned our 14 brothers for life. Imagine what will happen when a mulla becomes a PM.”
Alt News noted that after his video went viral, Singh deleted all of his content from his Instagram account.
However, we found a similar video of him speaking on the same verdict. This video is arguably more vile and openly threatens Khan with rape.
"Sunre o mulli m********d, jo tune humari 14 bhaiyon ko gau sevakon ko aajeevan karvaas ki saza di hai na, sun tere liye ek line hai jo ki bohot fine hai. Kab tak tu chhupegi judge ke aar mein, kabhi toh tere g***d m*****e khule bazaar mein.”
Further investigation led us to an older, possibly suspended Instagram account with over 11,000 followers, whose bio indicated that Singh was a resident of Surat. The two videos in question were uploaded from a newer account, @vishalthakur_sanatani, which also has a sizeable following of over 8,000.
After the video containing threats against the judge went viral, several users followed the same template.
"Despite being a Muslim judge, she had 14 cow protectors sentenced to life imprisonment. If these people come to power, it won't take even a minute to turn India into a Muslim nation...… Jago hindu jago” said Instagram user @lion_akhilesh099.
Propaganda outlet Sudarshan News TV’s star host Suresh Chavhanke showed continual solidarity with the convicted murderers. He urged his viewers to ‘speak up’ and stated that “your family members who risk their lives to save gau mata could also be imprisoned for life”. “We stand with the family of the victims”, ran the ticker on one of his shows.
“We openly oppose the decision of the Muslim judge”, was tweeted from the official handle of Sudarshan News TV.
In Punjab’s Peer Muchalla on June 22, the Gau Raksha Parishad staged a protest demanding the release of the 14 men. Demonstrators burned and assaulted an effigy of Khan while chanting slogans of “Tabassum Begum, haaye haaye”.
Several social media users amplified videos and posts targeting "Muslim judge" Tabassum Khan, accusing her of misusing her position to "take revenge." Facebook user Sanjeev Rai wrote, "Until ten days ago, no one knew her; then they misused her 'jihadi' power under the guise of the Constitution…" His post garnered over 5,000 likes and nearly 800 shares.
Facebook user Vedant Valmiki posted a video relaying the incident, claiming, "The main culprit here is the judge Tabassum Khan." The video has over 7,000 likes and over 2,000 shares.
Several other videos and posts similarly cast Khan as the "Muslim judge," framing the verdict as a Hindu-Muslim issue. See here and here.
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Several influential cow vigilantes also spoke up against the judgement. Mohit ‘Monu’ Manesar, an accused in the infamous murder of Nasir and Junaid in 2023, released a video condemning the judgement and calling for his Hindu brothers and sisters to stand in solidarity.
Daksh Chaudhury, who has been accused of anti-Muslim violence several times in the past, visited the families of the guilty. In videos that he uploaded of himself, he can be seen assuring their children that “their fathers would be released soon.”
In one of the videos he uploaded, he can be seen on a video call with the Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath Peeth, Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, who expressed solidarity with the murderers. Chaudhary assured help of all kinds and questioned why the government was not speaking out for the men in jail.
National Bajrang Dal leaders also staged a protest in Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh, in the Collectorate premises. They demanded the annulment of the life imprisonment sentence handed down by Khan.
The episode underscores how the conversation has shifted beyond the legality or morality of mob violence. Instead of focusing on the conviction of 14 men for lynching a Muslim truck driver, the Right-wing discourse turned to the religious identity of the judge who delivered the verdict, with allegations that a Muslim judge had "misused" her position or was acting out of communal bias.
The campaign also raises legal questions. Threatening a sitting judge over a judicial order can amount to criminal contempt of court, as it interferes with the administration of justice. Depending on the nature of the threats, it may also constitute criminal intimidation under Section 351 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Yet, despite these legal safeguards, the online campaign continues in the aftermath of the verdict.
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