Cow vigilantes on Thursday mistook a college student for a journalist and stabbed him multiple times for not taking photographs of their protest in Gohana town of Haryana’s Sonepat district. Shivam, a BA second-year student, has been admitted to Apollo Hospital in New Delhi and is said to be in critical condition.
According to a report in Hindustan Times, Shivam had gone to the protest venue with a journalist and was playing with his friend’s camera. The members of Gau Raksha Seva Dal were holding a protest demanding sedition charges against Congress workers in Kerala who slaughtered a cow in public last Saturday to defy Centre's new law on sale of cattle for slaughter.
The gau rakshaks mistook Shivam as a photographer and asked him to take photographs of them handing a memorandum to district officials. An argument ensued when the student refused to take pictures. The scuffle was, however, pacified by people present there.
Refusing to bow down, the gau rakshaks followed Shivam to a market where they stabbed him in his stomach and chest with knives, police said.
“He was admitted to local hospital initially but taken to Delhi because of his condition,” police inspector Ajaib Singh was quoted as saying by HT.
A case of “attempt to murder” was lodged against three people. While the The main suspect, 19-year-old Mohit, was arrested, two other accused are said to be on the run.
The FIR mentions all three as members of the cow protection group, but the outfit disowned the trio, saying they were troublemakers who join any protest, the police official said.
The protest by cow protection group was in retaliation against the beef festivals held in different parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The protesters were demanding that sedition charges be slapped against Kerala Youth Congress workers who slaughetred an animal in public to protest against the Centre's decision to ban the sale and purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter, a move that is expected to hit export and trade of meat and leather.
