A 35 year old muslim man was lynched to death in Odisha’s Balasore on Wednesday allegedly by a group of people who objected the transportation of cattle in the vehicle the man had loaded the animal and was travelling.
In the initial complaints, as reported by the Indian Express, the police lodged a case under the state’s Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act against the driver and the owner of the vehicle. However , a fresh case was filed based on a complaint by the victim’s brother.
The attack stemmed in the wee hours of Wednesday at around 5 am, with the disturbing incident of trashing the vehicle’s driver, identified as SK Makandar Mahammad who later succumbed to the injuries while undergoing treatment at Balasore district hospital. Purported video of the assault has also demonstrated the perpetrators forcing the victim to chant religious slogans like “Jai Shree Ram.”
Ahead of this, an FIR was lodged based on the complaint of a sub inspector at Balasore Sadar police station. The FIR had the name of the driver and owner of the van but the mention of assault was not recorded, as a result, driver and owner were booked under various sections of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, the Orissa Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
According to the initial FIR, a cattle-laden pickup van was allegedly being driven rashly and negligently from the Jayadeva Kasba side. The complaint states that the vehicle lost control and overturned by the roadside. By the time the complainant reached the spot, the driver had already been taken to a hospital for treatment, while a cow was found at the accident site.
“The cow was seized and brought to the Maa Bharati Goshala, and the pickup vehicle [was brought] to the PS, and the complainant submitted a written report for taking legal action against the owner and driver of the pickup van…,” read the FIR, as reported by the Indian Express.
Based on the complaint of Sk Jitendar Mahammad, the brother of the deceased, a second FIR was registered on Wednesday evening against five individuals, alleging that they forcibly stopped the van on the road and brutally assaulted his brother with deadly weapons.
