June 3, 2026
On May 18, 2026, Zaheer Sheikh, a 70-year-old Muslim Indian citizen, was detained on charges related to beef trading and possession, and was mistreated by the police while in custody.
Subsequently, he was brutally tortured in jail by the Indian police, who had arrested him without evidence, and he died. Despite the victim’s statements that he was beaten, the Indian police mistreated him solely because he was Muslim, tearing out his beard, punching and kicking him violently in his private parts, and subjecting him to torture incompatible with human dignity, including breaking his ribs.
Every year, as Eid al-Adha approaches, during and after Eid al-Adha; Lawless groups advocating Hindu supremacy are targeting Muslims in various parts of India, interfering with their religious practices and engaging in numerous acts of violence, including violations of the right to life.
They are also intensifying harassment and intimidation, targeting both men and women, in an effort to transform India, the world’s largest Muslim-populated region, into a purely Hindu area.
This incident demonstrates that the international community’s silence regarding the death of Zaheer Sheikh, the growing atmosphere of fear among Indian Muslims, and the repeated incidents of violence, humiliation, and discrimination has reached an extreme level.
Previous independent reports highlight the frequent use of offensive and insulting language directed at Muslims, road checkpoints targeting Muslims, and attempts to isolate them through so-called “cow protection campaigns,” revealing the dire situation faced by many Muslims in India today.
We call upon the Indian government to act in accordance with human rights, to grant freedom of worship to all communities of different religions and beliefs, and most importantly, to promptly punish those who commit acts of torture that endanger the right to life—and to respect the sociological and ethnic presence of Muslim citizens in India.
IJU ~ Secretary General
3/6/2026
Lawyer
Hüsnü TUNA