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Haryana: Cow vigilantes throw 2 men into canal, one dies; 5 arrested
One of the victims died due to the assault, which occurred on February 22
In a chilling incident linked to cow vigilantism, two men were brutally beaten and thrown into a canal in Haryana's Palwal district allegedly by a group of self-proclaimed cow protectors, police said on Tuesday.
One of the victims died due to the assault, which occurred on February 22.
Of the 11 accused in the case, five have been arrested, they said.
The truck was transporting cattle from Rajasthan to Lucknow when the driver, Balkishan, lost his way in the dark and unintentionally entered Palwal, where the incident occurred.
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The attackers, riding motorcycles, stopped the truck on suspicion of cow smuggling and assaulted both the driver and his helper, Sandeep.
The victim's body recovered from canal
The assailants then threw the two men into a canal. While Balkishan managed to swim to safety, Sandeep tragically drowned. His body was recovered from the canal on Sunday, three days after the brutal attack.
"Truck driver Balkishan swam to safety but helper Sandeep's body was fished out from the canal on Sunday," Palwal's Deputy Superintendent of Police (Crime) Manoj Verma said on Tuesday.
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An autopsy confirmed that Sandeep suffered multiple grievous injuries before his death.
Meanwhile, the arrested accused have been identified as Devraj, Nikhil, Naresh, Pawan and Pankak, who hail from Palwal, Gurugram and Nuh districts, the officer said.
The driver showed some documents related to the transportation of cows and these were being verified, the DSP said.
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This comes weeks after a cattle trader claimed that he was attacked by four suspected cow vigilantes who accused him of transporting cattle for slaughter in Maharashtra's Jalna district.
According to Qureshi's complaint, he was intercepted by four individuals allegedly associated with the Bajrang Dal, who accused him of transporting cattle for slaughter.
(With PTI inputs)
