Mob beats Jharkhand meat trader to death

A mob of more than 100 people in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh district lynched a 45-year-old Muslim meat trader on the suspicion of carrying beef in his car on Thursday afternoon.

The incident happened on a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned against cow vigilantism.

Police said they “rescued” Alimuddin aka Asgar Ali from the attackers and he died in hospital. “Though injured, he was walking then. I think he died of shock,” Ramgarh sub-divisional police officer Shashi Prakash said.

This is the second attack this June by cow vigilantes in Jharkhand as a 200-strong mob thrashed a 55-year-old Muslim dairy owner and set his house ablaze after a cow carcass was found near his home in Giridih district on Tuesday.

Pictures circulating on social media showed people hitting the man, meat pieces strewn on the road, and his car in flames.

In one photo, a bloodied and dazed Alimuddin was caught minutes before his death.

CONTINUED ON P 8

He is about five-feet-six-inches tall, muscular, and cleanshaven with a broad jawline. He doesn’t wear glasses and appears to hit the gym often.

That’s the sketchy sketch of the suspect who stabbed 16-year-old Junaid Khan and his brothers on a Mathurabound train last Thursday, returning to their Ballabhgarh home after Eid shopping in New Delhi.

FULL REPORT ››P2

Private sector players may soon get powers to grant accreditation to universities, colleges and other institutions of higher learning in the country. At present, this function is vested solely with the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), an autonomous institution under the UGC’s jurisdiction.

Official sources said this step could be taken to end the NAAC’s “monopoly” and ensure transparency in the process.

Government think-tank NITI Aayog had recently asked the human resource development (HRD) ministry to allow accreditation by reputed private players. Sources said the government was likely to accept its recommendation. “Just like NAAC, which is a government body, there will be other private agencies that carry out the work in keeping with strict protocols prescribed by the UGC. Universities and institutions will be free to choose which agency they want to approach,” a senior HRD official said.

CONTINUED ON P 8 THINNER BOOKS SOON ››P14