5 held for murder of Muslim cowherds
Herder, minor boy were lynched, hanged from a tree in Jharkhand
LATEHAR: Five suspects, including a member of a local cow protection vigilante group, were arrested on Saturday for allegedly hanging to death two Muslim cattle herders in a communally-sensitive region of Jharkhand.
Five suspects, including a member of a local cow protection vigilante group, were arrested on Saturday for allegedly hanging to death two Muslim cattle herders in a communal ly-sensitive region of J hark hand.
Mazlum Ansari, 32, and Imteyaz Khan, 13, were heading to an animal fair with a herd of cattle when they were allegedly lynched and hanged from a tree by a mob in Balumath on Friday. The area has a history of disputes between Hindus and Muslims over cattle trade and eating beef.
The incident brought back memories of the mob-lynching of Mohammad Ikhlaq in Uttar Pradesh last year over rumours he slaughtered a calf. The murder sparked off a nationwide debate over freedom of choice and religious intolerance since the BJP’s rise to power in 2014.
One of the accused, Mithilesh Prasad Sahu, is linked to the Gou Kranti Manch, a group that works for preserving cow population and is opposed to their slaughter, police said. They said all the suspects had confessed to killing the herders to snatch the cattle-heads and sell them elsewhere.
“Five of the eight persons have been arrested. Three others are absconding,” said Latehar police chief Anoop Birtharay.
Police dismissed reports of fresh tension in Balumath, which had seen clashes between Hindus and Muslims over eating beef three months ago, but still banned large gatherings in the area until further notice. The five accused hailed from Jhabar village under the Balumath police station area —around 100km from Ranchi.
“Barring one, the arrested had no past criminal records. They were engaged in petty business or farming in the village,” Birtharay said.