The lynching of a West Bengali migrant worker by a mob of cow vigilantes on the grounds that he may have consumed beef declined by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini. Saini argued that, in light of the strict cow protection legislation passed by the Haryana Assembly, the phrase “mob lynching” did not adequately describe the incident.
“It is not right to say things like mob lynching, because a strict law has been made in the Assembly for cow protection and there is no compromise on it,” the chief minister said.
On August 27, a group of people from a cow vigilante group are said to have killed West Bengali worker Sabir Malik by beating him. The incident happened in the Charkhi Dadri district. According to reports, the group suspected Malik of eating meat, which is against the law in the area for protecting cows. In relation to the crime, two minors and five men—Abhishek, Mohit, Ravinder, Kamaljit, and Sahil—have been taken into custody.
The accused are currently being held on police remand, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police Dheeraj Kumar, who also stated that a complaint under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been filed. Malik, a rag picker in the vicinity of Bandhra village, was assaulted after being tricked into going to a store under the guise of selling empty plastic bottles, police said. ‘Bystanders’ involvement allowed the accused to take Malik to a new place where they continued to abuse him until he died.
“A migrant labourer was beaten to death by some people. A case has been registered under BNS and 7 people, including 2 juveniles, have been arrested. Police is working on the case actively and the accused have been taken on police remand and are being questioned,” DSP Kumar said.