In Begusarai, Muslim hawker allegedly shot after being asked about his religion 

Mohammad Qasim.

New Delhi: Mohammad Qasim, a Muslim youth and a vendor who goes around on his two-wheeler selling household goods in the rural areas, was shot at in Begusarai district of Bihar, on Saturday.

According to the police, he was shot because of a dispute over payment for his wares. However, Qasim said his attacker asked about his religion and told to go to Pakistan. Qasim also said that he knew his attacker.

He, in a video shot at the hospital, said, “I was at Kumbi (village) in front of a paan shop. A man named Rajiv Yadav shot me. He asked my name. I said, ‘Mohammad Qasim’. He abused me, called me a miyan (Muslim), asked what I was doing here when I should be in Pakistan, and shot me in the back. He was completely drunk.”

Man Shot at in Bihar's Begusarai For ‘Muslim Name’ as Attacker Shouts ‘Go to Pakistan’#MohdQuasim #Begusarai #KumbhiVillage #JawaharlalNehru #MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/H44qxGzLaq

— S. Imran Ali Hashmi (@syedimranhashmi) May 27, 2019

Qasim further described the incident and said Yadav was trying to reload his gun to shoot him again but he head-butted his attacker and escaped as the man fell.

Kundan Kumar Singh, deputy superintendent of police, Begusarai Police headquarters, denied it was a hate crime and said, “I made enquiries with the Cheriya Bariyarpur station house officer. Qasim was doing a round on his moped and sold three packets of a detergent powder to Yadav on Saturday. The total amount came to Rs 110. Yadav, however, was willing to pay only Rs 100. An argument ensued and Yadav shot him.”

Meanwhile, Kanhaiya Kumar, a local leader of the Communist Party of India who was a candidate from Bagusarai in the Lok Sabha election, tweeted: “In Begusarai, a Muslim hawker was shot and told to go Pakistan. To promote such crimes, all such leaders and their courtiers are guilty who spread hatred for political benefits day and night. We will not rest in peace until the criminals are punished.”

बेगूसराय में एक मुस्लिम फेरीवाले को पाकिस्तान जाने की बात कहते हुए गोली मार दी गई। इस तरह के अपराधों को बढ़ावा देने के लिए ऐसे तमाम नेता व उनके राग दरबारी दोषी हैं जो दिन-रात सियासी फ़ायदों के लिए नफ़रत फैलाते हैं। अपराधियों को सज़ा दिलाने तक हम चैन से नहीं बैठेंगे।

— Kanhaiya Kumar (@kanhaiyakumar) May 26, 2019

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