• Salman Vohra, newly married, was tragically murdered after a brutal beating by a Hindutva mob, leaving behind his pregnant wife bereaved.
• The mob purportedly grew enraged due to the successful performance of the Muslim cricket players.
Twenty-three-year-old Salman Vohra had attended a cricket tournament match in Chikhodra, Gujarat on 22 June solely as a spectator. He tragically endured a savage beating that led to his murder.
In an interview with The Quint, his uncle Noman Anwar Vohra recounted the details of the incident:
“He had just gone to watch the final cricket match. No one would have thought this will happen. He just got married two months ago; his wife, Mashira is also OnE month pregnant.”
Local accounts suggest that tensions had already surfaced prior to the match due to the outstanding performance of Muslim players in the tournament, which was perceived unfavourably by a faction of pro-Hindutva residents.
According to activist Aasim Khedawala, students informed him that a significant number of players who excelled in the quarter-finals and semi-finals were Muslim. Reportedly, one of the finalist teams was predominantly Muslim, while the other team also included 3 Muslim players.
Organisers had cautioned about potential communal tensions arising from this composition, and many Muslim players expressed concerns over their safety.
The crowd surged to approximately 5,000 individuals, with Muslims constituting no more than about 500, according to some attendees.
The incident began when a group of Hindutva thugs allegedly approached Salman in the carpark. They told him to move his bike from the stand. they repeatedly said, “Vohra, do what we’re telling you to do.”
Later, they returned to the scene with five additional assailants. Suhail was mistaken for Salman and initiated an assault. In an attempt to shield Suhail from these individuals, Salman intervened, leading the mob to encircle him.
This marked the onset of the brutal assault on Salman.
Onlookers observed, and some even cheered the attackers, as depicted in a video where voices in the crowd shouted, “maaro! maaro!” (beat him, beat him!)
The assailants ceased their assault on Salman only when they perceived him to be devoid of strength or resolve. A few bystanders helped him up, offered water, and called for an ambulance. Initially taken to a nearby hospital, they were redirected to a larger private hospital upon arrival. However, upon reaching the second hospital and consulting with the doctor, Salman tragically succumbed to his injuries.
Salman’s uncle said:
“I saw his body. He had marks on his right hand, cuts below his eyes, his ear was brutally damaged. In fact, they (the attackers) almost bit his ear off. The knife cut damaged his kidney, which was the biggest wound. He was also beaten on his lower waist and neck so these areas of his body bled a lot.”
In addition to Salman, two other Muslim men sustained injuries: one requiring approximately 17 stitches and the other approximately 7 stitches.
The family eventually succeeded in filing a First Information Report (FIR) at 4 AM on 23 June at the Anand Rural police station.
The identities of the apprehended suspects are: Mehul Dinesh Parmar, Kiran Mafat Parmar, Mahendra Ramesh Vaghela, Ketan Mahendra Patel, Akshay Narsinh Parmar,Ratilala Raising Parmar, Vijay Mangal Parmar, Mukesh Rajesh Parmar, Rakesh Babu Parmar, Vijay Chhagan Parmarand Ketan Bharat Parmar.
