Balasore: A 35-year-old Muslim man was lynched on Wednesday, January 14, allegedly by a group of assailants armed with sharp weapons, on suspicion of cattle smuggling in Odisha‘s Balasore.
According to local media, the assault occurred at around 5 am on Wednesday, when the victim, Sk Makandar Mahammad, who worked as a helper in a pick-up van, was stopped by the assailants. The driver and Mahammad were brutally attacked with sharp weapons.
While both of them were grievously injured, Mahamad succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment at the district hospital.
A purported video of the incident shows the assailants demanding that the victim chant “Jai Shri Ram” and “Gau Mata Ki Jai.” They could be seen continuing to beat him even as he complied with their demands.
Odisha Police have arrested three accused in the case, and a manhunt was launched to nab others, the police said. The accused have been identified as Bapu, Pintu, Nepali, Pawan and Chinu Telanga.
“We have arrested three persons, and they have been forwarded to judicial custody on Thursday (January 15). The police have launched a search operation to arrest others involved in the mob attack,” Balasore Sadar area Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Subhranshu Sekhar Nayak told news agency PTI.
The accused persons were booked under Section 103(2) (murder committed by a mob) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Two FIRs, one by police, the other by victim’s brother
Initially, a complaint was filed by a Sub-Inspector at Balasore Sadar Police Station for a road mishap, without any mention of the lynching. Rather, it named the driver and owner of the van and charged them under the Orissa Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and related sections of the BNS.
This first information report (FIR) alleged that a pick-up van filled with cattle was driving rashly from Jayadeva Kasba, lost balance and overturned.
Meanwhile, the victim’s brother, Sk Jitendar Mahammad, in a written complaint, alleged that Mahammad, a resident of Astia village, died due to a mob attack. He named five men in the complaint, adding that they intercepted the van and attacked his brother with dangerous weapons.
He said a police patrol vehicle arrived at the scene and took his brother to the Balasore district headquarters hospital, where he later died during treatment.
The first FIR, however, claimed that the driver had already been taken to a hospital by the time a police team reached the spot. It also said the van was allegedly carrying cattle and was on its way to Sahada village under the Sadar Police Station limit, according to a report by Maktoob Media.
The police claimed they rescued the cattle and released them at the Maa Bharati Goshala.
However, tension prevailed in the area, prompting police to intervene and nabbing three persons in connection with the attack on the van driver and helper. The Balasore district administration has sanctioned Rs 20,000 from the Red Cross Fund to the deceased’s family and assured that all the accused involved in the crime would be booked soon.
(With inputs from PTI)
