On 21st March 2022, Monday night, in UP, residents of Mathura village and cow vigilantes of the right-wing outfit in Raal village ruthlessly beat up and thrashed a 35-year-old man over suspicion of ferrying beef and cattle meat smuggling in his truck.
Around 9 pm yesterday, the truck overturned on Chhatikara Radhakund Road near Mathura’s Khushipura Tiraha where the animal remains in the truck spilt out.
The infuriated locals and cow vigilantes arrived on the spot and assumed the animal remains to be cow meat. Despite police’s pleas, the crowd blocked the road and got hold of the driver while the other person in the truck fled the spot.
Viral Video
In a viral video that surfaced on social media, the exasperated mob thrashed the truck driver and ripped off his shirt. Two to three men held the driver hostage and beat him up inhumanely with belts before handing him over to the police.
Further, the mob demanded action against the driver for allegedly smuggling cattle meat. The 35-year-old truck driver was identified as Mohammad Aamir who was begging them to stop but they acted abusively without showing any mercy.
From the video which was spread across the internet like a forest fire, the men assaulting was claimed to be ‘Gaurakshaks’ and they demanded the arrest of the other person also.
Police investigation
According to the India Today report, the Circle Officer said that the person who was caught told the police that he was taking the animal cadavers from Neemgaon in Govardhan to Saharanpur. He also added that the cadavers will be sent for testing.
The SP of the city, Martand Prakash Singh said that the blockade created by the locals had been removed and the carcasses lying on the road had been cleared. The arrested driver has been interrogated while the other man who ran away would soon be found and taken into custody.
According to News18, the SP had said that nothing was found except some animal remains in the van for which Aamir (driver) had a license during the preliminary investigation. He also added that the suspects beat up the driver as well as two other men over suspicion of their links with the driver.
The SP further added to the above-mentioned news agency that two FIRs have been filed on this matter at Jait police station where one was registered on a complaint filed by Aamir while the other FIR was lodged on the complaint from Vikas Sharma, convenor of Gau Raksha Vibhag of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).
From the News18 report, the police had rescued all the three men from the angry mob and sent them for medical treatment while the search is on for the other person who had fled the area. As reported by News18, the doctors said that Aamir received bruises on his face and shoulder and did not suffer any major injuries.
The FIR
Based on Aamir’s complaint, 16 identified people and a few unidentified persons have been booked including Vikash Sharma and Balram Thakur from VHP. They all were booked under relevant IPC sections including 307 attempts to murder.
For Sharma’s complaint, 14 identified and 150 unidentified persons have been booked under appropriate IPC sections. According to the Times of India report, Aamir stated in the FIR that in Raal village, Sharma and Thakur blocked his truck and began beating his badly even after knowing that the animal cadavers were being taken from Govardhan to Hathras.
While Sharma in his complaint accused the residents of Raal village of allegedly beating him and his associate Balram Thakur over suspicion of their involvement with Aamir.
Published By – Damandeep Singh
Edited By-Kritika Kashyap
