Hindu mob lynches handicapped Muslim in New Delhi accused of "stealing" banana

The New Delhi police have arrested six people in connection to a violent mob lynching after a video of the assault on a young Muslim man, accused by the attackers of having "stolen" a banana from a prayer event, had gone viral.

As reported by Al Jazeera, 22-year-old Ishaq Wajid had been tied to an iron pole in the early hours on September 26 and beaten mercilessly on suspicion that he had taken “prasad”, which is a ritualistic offering, at a prayer event organised by the area’s Hindus to observe the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. The victim's father told the news agency that accepting fruits offered during the festival was a common practice.

Following the violent assault, the boy was left tied to the pole and eventually found by a neighbour and brought home, where he succumbed to his wounds. The attack on the mentally challenged Muslim was broadcasted on social media by the attackers.

Assaults and mob lynchings, in particular on Muslims, have been rising in India since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014, though the government denies such a trend.

Dozens of Muslims have been lynched or attacked by far-right Hindu mobs over the past years in what activists call “a dark reality about a shift in how a section of Hindu society practices their religion”.

“Lynching a Muslim has become akin to a ritual and that’s something Hindu leaders must think about”, an activist told Al Jazeera.