Man Killed by Mob Near Delhi Over Beef Rumours

Akhlaq was beaten to death by the mob while his son was left severely injured.

Six people were arrested in connection with the attack, around 45 km from Delhi, sparking protests that led to police firing, damage to vehicles and injuries to a 20-year-old welder who works for the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) facility in the area.

Police said they have sent samples of the meat taken from Akhlaq’s home “to the forensic department for examination”. Akhlaq’s family, however, said they only had mutton in their fridge and not the meat.

The police is investigating how the beef rumours started. The debate was revived in March when the local government in the Indian state of Maharashtra, where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party is in power, introduced a wide-ranging ban on the sale and consumption of beef. The death of Ashfaq for allegedly consuming beef is a shameful incident.

The villagers before assaulting the father-son duo broke into the house and ruined everything and even attacked the women that were present in the house.

Daughter of the deceased, Sajida had claimed that she was molested by the mob. His son, 22, was also dragged out by villagers along with him and beaten up.

“We found out that the people beat them because they consumed cow meat. We do not know if any of the accused are associated with the temple”, S. Kiran, a senior police officer, reportedly said.

Eleven states – including Uttar Pradesh – and two union territories (federally-administered regions) in India ban slaughter of cows, calves, bulls and bullocks.