Meat from lynched migrant’s shanty in Haryana not beef: Report

The forensic report of the meat which was recovered from a family of migrant labourers living near Hansawas Khurd village in Haryana’s Charkhi Dadri district has ruled out beef in it.

A group of cow vigilantes had allegedly beaten one of the family members, Saabir Malik, to death on August 27.

Badhra DSP Bharat Bhushan told The Tribune that the forensic report of the meat seized from the family had stated that it was not beef. “However, the report is not conclusive about which animal meat it was,” he said.

Chargesheet soon

• Badhra DSP Bharat Bhushan said they had arrested all 10 accused in the murder case\
• “We will soon file a chargesheet against the accused in the court,” the police official said

Not the first case

• Aug 23, 2024: A 19-year-old Class XII student, Aryan Mishra, shot dead in Faridabad by cow vigilantes over suspicion of cattle smuggling
• Aug 2: A 25-year-old youth thrashed at Behrola village in Palwal district on suspicion that he was a cow smuggler; he succumbed to injuries later
• Feb 16, 2023: Charred bodies of Junaid and Nasir from Bharatpur found in a vehicle in Bhiwani district; were abducted by vigilantes over cow smuggling suspicion
• April 3, 2017: Pehlu Khan (55) of Nuh district died after being attacked by cow vigilantes in Alwar while transporting cattle bought at a fair in Jaipur

The DSP said the police had arrested all 10 accused in the murder of the man and had completed their investigation. “We will soon file a chargesheet against the accused in the court,” he said, adding that the family of the victim had gone home in West Bengal but would return soon.

Among the 10 accused who belonged to nearby villages in Charkhi Dadri district, two are minors. The accused had beaten up the victim and some other persons on the suspicion of eating beef.

Take strict action

Whatever action is required, the Haryana Government should take it strictly. Bhupinder Singh Hooda, ex-cm

Saabir died after being beaten with sticks by the accused. The police had registered a case of murder.

The incident occurred when a group of assailants went to a jhuggi, where the migrant family was living, near the bus stand in Hansawas Khurd village on August 27. The accused alleged that the family was eating beef. The cow vigilantes reportedly then called up Saabir and his relative to a bus stand in the nearby Badhra village.

While the relative managed to escape, Saabir was hit by the accused with sticks, leading to his death. A video of the incident also went viral on social media in which some persons were seen thrashing Saabir.

Saabir, a resident of West Bengal, worked as a scrap dealer in the region. Some of the accused were identified as Abhishek, alias Shaka, Ravinder, alias Kalia, Mohit, Kamaljeet and Sahil, alias Pappi, who claimed to be working with a cow vigilante group.

The government had enacted the Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Act, 2015, which prohibited the sale and consumption of beef.