Rafiq’s death in MP exposes India’s moral breakdown under Hindutva regime
New Delhi: The horrifying video of a Muslim man, Rafiq, dying inside a grocery store as the Hindu shopkeeper remained unmoved, has sent shockwaves across Muslim community in India and beyond.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the incident, which took place in Susner town of Agar Malwa district, Madhya Pradesh, is being seen as a chilling reflection of a deeply divided and desensitized society — one shaped by years of hate-fuelled ideology under Narendra Modi’s Hindutva regime.
Rafiq collapsed suddenly in a local shop and begged for help. Instead of offering assistance, shop owner Salgram Rathore was seen in the viral video calmly counting money and scrolling on his mobile phone, completely ignoring the dying man. Rafiq soon lost his life, while help never came.
The video has triggered outrage, especially within the Muslim community, which has condemned the inhuman indifference of the shopkeeper. When confronted, the accused attempted to twist the narrative, falsely claiming that he was being targeted because he belonged to a “particular class” — a veiled communal reference, widely interpreted as an effort to polarize public opinion.
In response, residents from various communities, led by local Muslim leaders, submitted a memorandum to police officials, demanding justice for Rafiq and legal action against the accused and his son. The delegation was headed by Qazi Hafiz Nawab Khan, who stated: “We are not talking about religion; we are talking about humanity. A man begged for help, and the shopkeeper did nothing.”
The incident in Susner cannot be viewed in isolation. It is part of a broader pattern of moral and societal decay driven by the Hindutva ideology aggressively promoted by the RSS-BJP regime since Narendra Modi came to power.
