A migrant worker from West Bengal was beaten to death by five people, who are part of a cow vigilante group. Another migrant worker from Assam was also beaten on similar suspicion is said to have sustained injuries in the incident, which took place in Haryana's Charkhi Dadri on August 27. All five accused, including two juveniles have been arrested by the police.
The 26-year-old victim, Sabir Malik, was beaten by the cow vigilantes over suspicion that he had consumed beef, police said on Saturday, as reported by news agency PTI. According to the First Information Report, Malik, a scrap dealer who lived in a shanty near Charkhi Dadri's Bandhra village, was called by the accused — Abhishek, Mohit, Ravinder, Kamaljit, and Sahil — under the pretense of selling plastic bottles to him.
As per a report by The Hindu, Malik was called to a local bus stand by the accused men. They had also called another migrant worker from Assam Asiruddin. They had suspected him of eating beef as well and had planned to rough up the duo near the bus stand.
When they began assaulting them, the passers-by intervened, following which they were taken to another location on their motorcycles. Later, Malik was found dead near a canal in the village. He is survived by his wife and a two-year-old daughter. Asiruddin was also found dumped at another location. He was rushed to a hospital and is currently receiving treatment.
Victim's Family Demand 'Strictest Possible Punishment' For Accused
The police have filed a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against all the five accused including the two juveniles who have also been apprehended in connection with the matter.
Malik's brother-in-law Sujauddin, the complainant, stated that he had been living along with his father and sister's family in the slum area for the last five years and had never experienced anything like this before. He stated that he was returning home after picking up rags in the morning when the group confronted them saying that they had eaten beef. The cow vigilantes had also taken them to the Bandhra police station.
"I was at the police station when I got a call from my sister saying that some men had come and taken along her husband on pretext of selling some scrap. I reported it to the police immediately. He was later found dead near a canal," Sujauddin said. He has demanded the strictest possible punishment for the accused men, seeking justice for his brother-in-law Malik, The Hindu reported.