Purulia (Bengal): The family of a Muslim street hawker who was allegedly hacked to death with an axe in Purulia district have claimed that his murder is linked to the atmosphere of anti-Muslim hatred and fear that has swept into Bengal in recent times. Police have denied religious hatred played a role.“It is because of this climate of fear that my father was murdered,” said Zulfikar, the 20-year-old son of 47-year-old Akbar Mondal, the hawker who was killed on June 9. The Wire spoke to Zulfikar on June 10 as he was carrying his father’s body back to his village of Punisol in neighbouring Bankura district.Akbar’s son, Zulfikar Mondal. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.The area is commonly referred to as ‘Jangalmahal’ – forested land which has played home to significant political movements in the past.Zulfikar had been forced by poverty to abandon his education, and worked, like his father, as a hawker in the Bandwan region of Purulia district. The crime has shaken his family and village alike, he said.Zulfikar said at one the morning of June 9, Akbar was hawking steel utensils on his cart when he was suddenly dragged into a house in Supurdihi village. Inside, he was attacked by a man who was unknown to Akbar. Zulfikar said that the man first beat Akbar with a stick and then, when he tried to defend himself, struck him with an axe. Akbar was also struck with a dagger, Zulfikar said he had learnt.“At around noon, an officer from Bandwan Police Station called me and said, ‘Your father has been murdered. Come to Bandwan Hospital immediately’,” said Zulfikar.Zulfikar was hawking his own share of household goods in another village at the time. “When I reached the hospital, I saw my father’s body. His head had been smashed open. The sight was horrific. Blood had covered almost his entire body. The doctors told me that Akbar Mondal had died long before he was brought to the hospital,” Zulfikar said.“Some people would force us to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ merely because we had beards. They would say that we would no longer be allowed to earn our livelihood as hawkers here. Since the BJP government came to power, an atmosphere of fear had been created. We lived and worked in constant fear,” said Zulfikar.The young man has demanded proper investigation and exemplary punishment for those responsible.Akbar’s neighbour Khelpot Hossain Mondal. Minors’ faces have been blurred in accordance with laws on juvenile justice. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.Akbar’s wife Nazima Bibi, daughter Jummatun Khatun, other family members and residents of Punisol village noted that Akbar had been plying his goods on a familiar route and is unlikely to have been unfamiliar to the residents there. Zulfikar added that Akbar is sure to have cried out for help, but that clearly no one came forward to rescue him.“People from our village have been hawking there for nearly 14 years without any trouble. Since the BJP government came to power, attacks on Muslims have increased. Most residents of Punisol are poor working-class people. We leave home for work with anxiety,” said elderly villager Khelapot Hossain Mondal, a resident of Mondal Para in Punisol.Purulia Superintendent of Police Vaibhab Tewari told The Wire on June 10 that the accused, Biswanath Mahato, had been arrested in connection with the case. Tewari confirmed that the murder took place inside Mahato’s house. “We are not sure why such a murder happened – it could have been the result of a quarrel,” the SP said.“At present, there is no evidence suggesting that religious or any communal hatred was involved in the incident,” Tewari added.As Akbar’s body arrived at Mondol Para of Punisol, residents recalled that a few months ago, another hawker from this village was allegedly attacked with a knife near Kankata locality in Bankura town after refusing to chant “Jai Shri Ram.” That incident had spread fear among locals, and Akbar’s murder has deepened those anxieties.Akbar’s wife Nazima said her husband had recently told her that he was working under constant fear.Akbar’s elder brother Nurmahammod Mondal with other members of his family. The minor’s face has been blurred in accordance with laws on juvenile justice. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.His death has, meanwhile. plunged the household further into poverty. Zulfikar noted that his sister Jammatun had also had to discontinue her education after Class 11 due to poverty.Akbar’s elder brother, Nurmohammad Mondal, who earns his living by selling chicken, said that Muslims have now become easy targets. “Many hawkers who worked in Purulia are returning home out of fear. But there is no work in this small village either. Tell me, how are we supposed to survive?”