SIT to probe attack on vigilante Bittu’s brother

Victim suffered 60% burns after six unidentified men allegedly sprinkled petrol on him and set him afire

The Faridabad police formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the incident in which the younger brother of cow vigilante Bittu Bajrangi, officials aware of the matter said on Friday.

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Police said Mahesh Panchal, 32, the victim, is undergoing treatment and was reportedly stable. Panchal had suffered 60% burns after six unidentified men allegedly sprinkled petrol on him and set him afire.

Police said that the attackers confirmed Panchal’s relation with Bajrangi before setting him ablaze. “When my brother confirmed that, they poured petrol on him and set him on fire and fled from the spot,” said Bajrangi, who was arrested for his alleged role in the communal violence in Haryana’s Nuh and Gurugram that left six dead in July.

Police said that the attackers fled in a car and that the investigators were scanning CCTV footage of the area to identify them.

Aman Yadav, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said police teams visited the crime spot on Friday and retrieved CCTV footage from around the area. “The suspects will be arrested soon. One of them who has been identified is on the run. We have sent victim’s clothes for forensic analysis,” he said.

The SIT includes the station house officer (SHO) of Saran Police Station, the in-charge of Parvatiya Colony police post, and the crime branch sector-48 in-charge, Yadav said.

Bajragi called the attack an act of revenge against him. “Since I work for the protection of cows and run my group to rescue the smuggled cows, some people have tried to kill my brother,” he said.

Bajrangi, who heads the Goarakshak Bajrang Force, was booked for rioting, assault, brandishing weapons, and dacoity in connection with the communal violence in July.

Bajrangi, who was among 292 people arrested for the violence, and another cow vigilante Mohit Yadav or Monu Manesar, were accused of releasing provocative videos that inflamed communal tensions.

Bajrangi has also sought police security for himself.