Moinul Hoque was killed on September 23 during a protest when policemen rained bullets on him while he was running with a cane in his hand. The merciless act was caught on camera and a video went viral which also showed a government cameraman stomping on the body of Hoque who lay on the ground numb. The horrific visuals sent shockwaves across far and wide and invited condemnation from opposition and rights groups.
The poor residents of the village were protesting against the demolition of their homes and mosques during an eviction drive by the Assam government.
“Moinul saw police beating the girl. His house was already taken down. He became angry, he took a lathi and tried to chase the police away” -Girl’s cousin. Rest we all know what happened.
Moinul was a HERO,” Advocate Aman Wadud tweeted.
Many others went on to assert that he was a ‘hero’. #MoinulHoque is a hero. Pass it on. https://t.co/qVvQjoNpIH— Safoora Zargar (@SafooraZargar) September 26, 2021 #MoinulHaque Is A Hero…. #MoinulHaque Is A Hero…. https://t.co/6crAuhTJN8— Darab Farooqui दाराब फारूक़ी داراب فاروقی (@darab_farooqui) September 26, 2021 What drives a person with a stick to run into hail of fire ? His humanity.
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[Pass it on] https://t.co/SIKvSiDiRH— Alishan Jafri | अलीशान (@asfreeasjafri) September 26, 2021
Maynal Hoque is a hero. https://t.co/89ue6eZz0r— Adil Hossain (@adilhossain) September 26, 2021
Meanwhile, he was also hailed as a Shaheed (Martyr)
“May Allah give strength to Shaheed Moinul Haque sb’s loved one,” AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi said in a tweet. May Allah give strength to Shaheed Moinul Haque sb’s loved ones. #AssamHorror
-There must be swift action against those responsible for his murder, token arrests won’t do
-Compensate Haque sb’s family
-Immediately stop the displacement of Bengali Muslims in Darrang 1/n— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) September 24, 2021
“Standing alone against the might of the monster state! This is the image of Shaheed Moinul Houqe that we shall remember forever. Salam, Ya Shaheed, Salam!,” activist Sharjeel Usmani tweeted.
Standing alone against the might of the monster state! This is the image of Shaheed Moinul Houqe that we shall remember forever. Salam, Ya Shaheed, Salam! pic.twitter.com/9V0Xs8Kzxs— Sharjeel Usmani (@SharjeelUsmani) September 25, 2021
That Shaheed defended his home and family just by a stick. Taken the bullet right into his chest in order to save the dignity of his family.
A true hero.— اخلاص (@tamashbeen_) September 23, 2021
Moinul Haque knew he only had a stick for self-defence in front of guns. He knew the beasts standing there wouldn’t spare him, yet he courageously fought to defend his family till his last breath. He was brave, & those who killed him are cowards in uniform.
Shaheed Moinul Haque.— Saif (@isaifpatel) September 24, 2021
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Rushda Fathima Khan is the Staff Reporter for The Cognate.
