A farm caretaker died after a group of men attacked him and five other individuals for allegedly slaughtering a cow. The attack happened in a farmhouse in Dwarka, a residential neighborhood in western New Delhi.
According to local police, they received a complaint about the incident around 2:00 PM on Monday, April 11. A local police officer who spoke to The Indian Express said they received “information about a group of men suspected to be involved in killing cows and selling beef from a farmhouse in the Chhawla area.”
The police officer explained that they were heading to the reported location when they received another complaint coming from the same area. “When we reached the spot, we found the men were being attacked,” the police officer said.
“The staff intervened, and all injured persons were taken to nearby hospitals,” he added.
The victim, a 40-year-old Rajaram, died of injuries from the attack on the same day.
The police registered two FIRs (First Incident Report) and arrested five individuals suspected of cow slaughter. The first two FRIs indicated complaints from the victim of the attacks and a complaint made by other residents.
“Two separate cases have also been registered, and five men were arrested from the spot,” the police officer added.
The police have not arrested any of the attackers.
The police also said they “have collected a few samples from the spot and sent them for examination.” The samples collected were for the cow slaughter investigation
10 to 15 men claiming to be “gau rakshaks” or cow vigilantes carried out the attacks. The group accused Rajaram and the other farm caretakers of slaughtering cows and selling the meat.
Jhaso Devi, Ram’s wife, said she did not understand why her husband was attacked. She also accused the attackers of spreading false rumors about her husband.
“We have eight cows and hens, and we sell milk to half of the villagers,” Devi said.
“Why would we kill cows?” She lamented.
Arun Kumar Dubey, another local farmer, was also surprised by the attack. “Everyone is saying he killed cows, but we have seen him for two years; he only sells milk,” Dubey said.
India’s political and social atmosphere is becoming increasingly dangerous for its minorities. The anti-Muslim political rhetoric, made worse by Modi’s deafening silence on the matter, create a fissure in India’s society.
These corrosive ideologies from India’s politicians and religious leaders are translated into real-life dangers, especially to India’s religious minorities.
According to the Human Rights Watch, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party is spurring a “violent vigilante campaign against the consumption of beef and those engaged in the cattle trade.”
