Seven persons, including two juveniles who were part of a cow vigilante group, were arrested for allegedly beating to death a migrant worker from West Bengal in Charkhi Dadri’s Badhra over suspicion that he had eaten beef, police said on Saturday. The two juveniles were sent to a safe house in Faridabad.
The accused -- Abhishek, Mohit, Ravinder, Kamaljit and Sahil – had allegedly called victim Sabir Malik to a shop under the pretense of selling empty plastic bottles and then thrashed him mercilessly, resulting in his death.
Malik, who hails from Miarbheri in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, worked as a scrap dealer. He, along with his wife and two-year-old daughter, lived in a shanty in Hansawas village in Charkhi Dadri.
Badhra deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Bharat Bhushan said the incident took place on August 27 when cow vigilantes got information that some migrant workers from Assam, staying in Hansawas village, have allegedly consumed beef, and visited the area for inspection.
“Sabir was also staying in the same village. During inspection, meat was found in utensils, which was sent to a laboratory to confirm if it was beef. Hours later, these youths called Sabir and his aide Aseeruddin to a shop in Badhra on the pretext of selling empty plastic bottles and started thrashing them. While Aseeruddin managed to flee, the accused took Malik to the nearby Bhandwa village and assaulted him again, as a result of which he died,” the DSP added.
Victim’s brother-in-law Surajuddin Sarkar that on the fateful day, the family members had also been called to the police station. “On August 27, police had called me and my father to Badhra police station. We told them we had not consumed beef. Then, my sister called me and said that Sabir has not returned. We informed the police and my brother-in-law was found dead the same evening,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Victim’s brother-in-law Surajuddin Sarkar that on the fateful day, the family members had also been called to the police station. “On August 27, police had called me and my father to Badhra police station. We told them we had not consumed beef. Then, my sister called me and said that Sabir has not returned. We informed the police and my brother-in-law was found dead the same evening,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Political row erupts
Meanwhile, a political row erupted in poll-bound Haryana after the migrant’s killing. The Opposition took on the Nayab Singh Saini-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state, saying that law-and-order has gone for a toss.
Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) general secretary Digvijay Singh Chautala said, “Who has given the cow vigilantes the right to kill a ragpicker. The chief minister has failed to provide safe places to residents. This incident is a blot on the BJP government. Strict action should be taken against culprits.”
Former two-time Badhra MLA and senior Congress leader Ran Singh Mann said the chief minister (CM) has failed to maintain law-and-order in the state, adding that cow vigilantes are taking law into their own hands with backing of the state government.
“There is a deep conspiracy to divide people on caste and religion lines during the Haryana polls. Police should probe the case from all angles and give strict punishment to the culprits,” he added.
Meanwhile, Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini said that cows are respected in the state but such incidents are unfortunate. “Mob lynching is not right but people from villages react when such incidents come to light. I hope that such incidents won’t happen again and I condemn this incident,” he added.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader MP Mahua Moitra also took to social media site ‘X’ to condemn the incident, saying, “Haryana cow vigilantes kill 26-year-old migrant Sabir from Bengal on suspicion that he ate beef. Justice is required for him and countless like him killed by BJP-fuelled hatred (sic).”