2 lynched on cow slaughter suspicion
AN FIR WAS FILED AGAINST 15 PEOPLE OVER THE MATTER AND NINE PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED, SAID THE POLICE
HT Correspondent
BHOPAL: Two tribal men died while another was injured after members of a right-wing group assaulted them over suspicion of cow slaughter in Madhya Pradesh’s Seoni district on Tuesday, police said, adding that nine people were arrested in connection with the case.
According to police, a group of about 15-20 men went to the house of the victims and assaulted them. While two men died on their way to the hospital, the third was admitted with minor injuries, police said.
“Two tribal men have died. It was alleged that a group of 15-20 people went to the victims’ house, accused them of killing a cow and assaulted them,” said additional superintendent of police, Seoni, SK Maravi.
Kurali police station in-charge, Ganpat Singh Uike, said the dead have been identified as Dhan Shah Inawati and Sampat Batti of Simariya village and injured as Brijesh Batti of Kurali village. The Hindu group activists suspected them of killing a cow and smuggling of beef, he said.
A case has been registered against 15 members of a saffron outfit for rioting, voluntarily causing hurt and under relevant sections of the Scheduled Caste/
Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and six of the accused have been booked for murder, said the additional SP. According to police, Sher Singh Rathore, Ajay Sahu, Deepak Awadhiya, Vedant Chauhan, Basant Raghuvanshi and Raghunandan Raghuvanshi and three others were arrested in connection with the case.
IGP Umesh Joga said, “More arrests will be made after investigation. One of the deceased, Sampat Batti, was arrested last October in connection with a cattle smuggling.”
“A case of murder has been registered on complaint of the injured tribal, Brajesh Batti. Police teams are searching for the accused... Some 12 kg of meat has been found in the victims’ house,” Maravi said. He added that the meat has been sent for forensic examination.
In his complaint, Batti said the group reached the house of two tribals, Sampat Batti and Dhansa, with sticks, and started assaulting them alleging that they killed a cow. The group also assaulted Batti when he went there, he alleged.
The Seoni superintendent of police and other senior officials visited the home of the victims.
Following the deaths, Congress legislator Arjun Singh Kakodia sat in protest on Jabalpurnagpur Highway, demanding action against the accused.
State Congress chief Kamal Nath tweeted: “I demand from the government that strict action be taken against the culprits... All possible help should be given to the families of the victims.”
(With agency inputs)