Two arrested in lynching of ‘cow thieves’ in Assam

Two persons were arrested from Assam’s Nagaon district for their alleged involvement in lynching of two youths suspected to be cow thieves, police said on Monday.

Two persons were arrested from Assam’s Nagaon district for their alleged involvement in lynching of two youths suspected to be cow thieves, police said on Monday.

Villagers watch men bury their relatives Abu Hanif, 16, and Reaz Uddin, 18, who wer beaten to death by a mob on Sunday night, in Naramari village, about 140 kilometers east of Gauhati, in the state of Assam, Monday, May 1, 2017. (AP Photo)

Nagaon Superintendent of Police D. Upadhaya said police have arrested two persons after registering a case. “Our investigation is on to ascertain their involvement in the crime and also to find out if there are more involved in the crime,” he said.

A mob in Kachomari village on Sunday lynched to death two youth suspecting that they were stealing cows. Police arrived in the spot after being informed by the locals and rescued the two but they succumbed to their injuries in a hospital.

The duo hailed from Naromari village in the district.

On Monday, group of people took out a protest demonstration with the two bodies and demanded action against the brutal killings. The relatives of the deceased denied their involvement in the crime and alleged that they were killed in cold blood.

“Our probe is on. We have carried out the post mortem on the bodies and handed over the bodies to the families. Its an incident of mob fury and we are going to deal with the situation strictly,” said Upadhyaya.