By Sahil Hussain Choudhury & Sayed Salim Ahmed
Two young Muslim cousins in Assam’s Patharkandi reportedly went looking for their own cattle. They returned with pellets lodged inside their bodies.
That should disturb us beyond the immediate brutality of the incident. According to reports, 17-year-old Amir Uddin, a madrasa student, and 18-year-old Islam Uddin, a daily wager, were attacked in Nalugaon after being accused of cattle theft. Videos of the assault reportedly showed them being beaten, restrained and fired at with an air gun while crying in pain. Four persons have since been arrested.
But the question is not only what happened in Patharkandi. The larger question is this: when did suspicion become a licence to punish?
This story was originally published in thequint.com. Read the full story here.