NEW DELHI: A Muslim man died after he was attacked by hundreds of Hindu vigilantes while transporting cows in India, police said on Wednesday, as tensions rose over the slaughter of an animal Hindus consider sacred.

No arrests had immediately been made, but police said they had registered a murder case over 55-year-old Pehlu Khan’s death in hospital on Monday, two days after a mob attacked his cattle truck on a highway in Alwar in Rajasthan.

At least six more people were injured when the truck was attacked by around 200 Hindu fanatics, who police are still trying to identify.

But police also said they were preparing a case against the survivors of the attack, whom they suspect of trying to smuggle the cattle across state borders.

Cows are considered sacred in Hindu-majority India, where squads of Hindu vigilantes roam highways inspecting livestock trucks for any trace of the animal.

Slaughtering cows is illegal in many Indian states and some also require a licence for transporting them across state borders.

Alwar police chief Rahul Prakash said the victim and his associates were returning to their home state of Haryana when the mob intercepted their vehicle.

Prakash said the six others had now been discharged from hospital, adding that a post-mortem would determine the cause of Khan’s death. “We are yet to receive the post-mortem report but he had multiple rib fractures,” the officer said.

Another officer, Ramesh Chand Sinsinwar, said that police were preparing a case against the survivors. “They were carrying eight bovines in the mini truck without permission. We will file a case against the survivors after concluding our investigations,” said the lead investigator in the case.

Rajasthan’s Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria told reporters that both sides were to blame for the incident. “It is illegal to transport cows, but people ignore it and cow protectors are trying to stop such people from trafficking them,” Kataria told reporters.

At least 10 Muslim men have been killed in similar incidents across the country by Hindu mobs on suspicion of eating beef or smuggling cows in the last two years.

In 2015, a Muslim man was lynched by his neighbours over rumours that he had slaughtered a cow. Police later said the meat was mutton.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2017

Opinion

Editorial

Counterterrorism plan
Updated 23 Nov, 2024

Counterterrorism plan

Lacunae in our counterterrorism efforts need to be plugged quickly.
Bullish stock market
23 Nov, 2024

Bullish stock market

NORMALLY, stock markets rise gradually. In recent months, however, Pakistan’s stock market has soared to one ...
Political misstep
23 Nov, 2024

Political misstep

FORMER first lady Bushra Bibi’s video address to PTI followers has triggered a firestorm. Her assertion implying...
Kurram atrocity
Updated 22 Nov, 2024

Kurram atrocity

It would be a monumental mistake for the state to continue ignoring the violence in Kurram.
Persistent grip
22 Nov, 2024

Persistent grip

An audit of polio funds at federal and provincial levels is sorely needed, with obstacles hindering eradication efforts targeted.
Green transport
22 Nov, 2024

Green transport

THE government has taken a commendable step by announcing a New Energy Vehicle policy aiming to ensure that by 2030,...