Akbar Khan, a resident of Kolgaon in Haryana, was spotted with a couple of cows in Alwar's Lalawandi area in Ramgarh police station area when he was attacked. (Photo/ANI)
In yet another case of cow vigilantism, a man has reportedly been beaten to death in Rajasthan's Alwar. According to reports, the man, identified as Akbar Khan, thrashed by a mob on suspicion on smuggling cows.
Akbar Khan, a resident of Kolgaon in Haryana, was spotted with a couple of cows in Alwar's Lalawandi area in Ramgarh police station area when he was attacked. The victim's body has been kept in the morgue of a local hospital as the police is investing the matter further.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has condemned the incident and assured strict action against the guilty. "The incident of alleged lynching of a person transporting bovines in Alwar district is condemnable. Strictest possible action shall be taken against the perpetrators," Raje tweeted.
Meanwhile, the police have arrested two people- Dharmendra Yadav and Paramjit Singh Sardar who were found on the spot standing with bovines.
This is not for the first time that Alwar has witnessed a case related to cow vigilantism. In April 2017, a man - Pehlu Khan - was killed by 'gau rakshaks' for allegedly smuggling cattle.
The latest incident comes just a day after the issue of mob lynching reverberated in Lok Sabha during the debate on no-confidence motion against the NDA government.
Speaking in Lok Sabha, PM Narendra Modi urged all the state governments to take strict action against those involved in mob lynching incidents and punish them to curb the menace happening in the country for the last few months.
"Any instance of violence brings shame to the nation. I will once again urge the state governments to punish those who indulge in violence," he said his reply to the debate on the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha.
Earlier this week, Home Minister Rajnath Singh also spoke on the issue putting the onus to control such cases on state governments.
"The lynching incidents happened in the past well. I condemn all the incidents on behalf of my government. Unverified reports, fake news spread through social media is a trigger. It is the state government's responsibility to ensure that no such incidents take place in the future. Law and order is a state subject. This is why we have requested the social media operators to keep a tab in order to avoid the spread of fake information," Rajnath Singh said in Lok Sabha on Thursday.
Condemning the rising incidents of lynching in India, the Supreme Court had on Tuesday asked the government to enact a law to deal such cases.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra had termed the incidents of lynching "horrendous acts of mobocracy" which cannot be allowed to become a new norm.
However, the opposition leaders criticised the Raje government for failing to stop such attacks.
Congress national general secretary Ashok Gehlot termed the incident horrific and unfortunate. He said the man was lynched despite Supreme Court's warnings and instructions.
Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot too blamed the BJP government, saying killing of people on "suspicion" is sadly becoming a norm in BJP-ruled states.
He said Home Minister Rajnath Singh's words in Parliament on Friday about state governments' responsibility in stopping mob lynching incidents seem even more hollow now.
WATCH: Man beaten to death in Alwar on suspicion of cow smuggling
(With inputs from agencies)
