New Delhi: Cow vigilantes in Raal village of Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh brutally beat up a Muslim driver of a pick-up van on the night of March 20, because they suspected he was transporting cow bones and other cow remains.
Officials have said that the bones were not of cows and were, in fact, being disposed off by a contractor as part of the village cleanliness drive.
The Raal village is under the jurisdiction of the Jait police station.
Times of India has reported that the victim, 35-year-old Mohammad Aamir, was thrashed repeatedly and verbally abused. Several videos of the crime were shot and circulated. PTI has identified the victim as ‘Hamid’ and noted that he is a resident of Hathras. He was headed there from Mathura’s Govardhan, police told TOI, adding that he had a licence to transport animal carcasses.
Police have arrested three villagers and registered a case against several people, 14 of them identified, under sections of the IPC, including 307, attempt to murder.
Cow vigilantes from Vrindavan – Vikas Pandit and Balram Thakur of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad – reached the village and intercepted Aamir’s vehicle, the latter said in the FIR. Claiming that the vehicle was being used to transport cow remains, the two led began thrashing him, he noted, as reported by TOI.
Pandit and Thakur have, in turn, alleged that villagers mistook them as Aamir’ associates and also assaulted them, holding all three captive.
A police team later reached the village and freed all three men, Superintendent of Police (City) Martand Prakash Singh said. The three injured were hospitalised and later discharged. Aamir has suffered bruises to his body. Sabrang India
