By Sumaiya Ali and Maariyah Siddique
Alwar (Rajasthan): “They target us because we are Muslims,” said Shaukat Ali, a neighbour of Imran Ali whose infant was crushed to death during police raids in Rajasthan’s Alwar.
The tragic incident happened on the early morning of March 2. The police had barged into Imran, a daily-wage labourer’s house unannounced to conduct raids against alleged cyber fraud.
The manner in which the raid was conducted without a search warrant reflects how Muslims, especially the ones who lack the resources to raise their voices, are treated.
Jamtara of North India
Last year in June 2024, Rajasthan Police launched “Operation Antivirus” which was meant to be a massive crackdown on online scams mushrooming in the region of Mewat spanning Rajasthan and Haryana. Alwar is one of the hotspots of cyber fraud which is why the region is called “Jamtara of North India”.
But in the police raids – a pattern is usually observed. Shaukat underlines that the raid that happened on the uneventful morning was just a part of the multiple raids being carried out in the name of “cyber fraud investigations” to extort money. “It is mainly happening in the houses of Meo Muslims,” he says.
When asked why this was the case, he shared that after the death of local MLA Zubair Khan, from the Congress party, the raids have increased – because Meo Muslims lost their political representative.
Meo Muslims – caught between politics and poverty
Alwar’s regional demography, especially Raghunathgarh, has a sizable mix of Yadavs, Jatts, Meos, OBCs, among others. What sets Meos apart is their shared communal heritage of Hindu and Muslim customs, dating back to the pre-independence era. For example, marriage alliances among them happen between similar castes as in Hinduism, while their nikah ceremonies exhibit Islamic traditions. Traditionally a semi-tribal group, their main occupation has been cattle rearing for centuries.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.
