Dadri, Uttar Pradesh: A 50-year-old man was beaten to death and his 22-year-old son severely injured by a mob, 50-kilometers from Delhi on Monday night, allegedly after a rumour that his family had stored and consumed beef.
Mohammad Akhlaq and his son were dragged out by villagers in Dadri's Bisara village and beaten with bricks. Akhlaq died before he could be taken to a hospital.
The villagers broke into the house, wrecked everything and even attacked the women, said media reports.
The mob was still beating up the men when the police arrived at the scene. Six men were arrested from the spot that led to protests by the villagers.
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Akhlaq's daughter said there was no beef in the house and they had only store mutton in their fridge. Police said they have sent samples of meat taken from Akhlaq's home “to the forensics department for examination”.
The family had lived in the village for over three decades.
"We found out that the people beat them because they consumed cow meat. More people will be arrested," said S Kiran, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Gautam Buddh Nagar. He added that “preliminary investigations revealed that an announcement was made from the temple” about the family consuming beef.
Gautam Budh Nagar District Magistrate N P Singh said police have been deployed in the area and “as of now, the situation is under control”.
