Rajasthan Police say ‘anti-social elements’ killed Muslim man in Alwar on suspicion of cow smuggling
State Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria said that action would be taken against the accused irrespective of his religion.
The Rajasthan Police on Monday said “anti-social elements” were behind the murder of a 35-year-old Muslim man in Alwar district, the Hindustan Times reported. Ummar Khan was said to have been shot dead last week allegedly for smuggling cows. His body was found on the railway tracks on Friday evening.
Avoiding using the term cow vigilantes, Superintendent of Police (Alwar) Rahul Prakash told the Hindustan Times, “The attackers were basically anti-social elements who attacked Khan and two other passengers of the pickup [truck] as they were smuggling cows.” He added, “They later asked somebody else to dump Khan’s body on the railway track.”
The police had also found an abandoned pickup truck near Govindgarh with five cows, including one that was dead. But no connection between the two incidents was established. On Monday, Prakash, however, confirmed that the two incidents were linked, the newspaper reported. Khan’s body has been sent for an autopsy.
Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria said that action would be taken against the accused, whether he is Hindu or Muslim, NDTV reported. “We do not have enough manpower to control every situation in all cities in time,” he said, adding that there was no clarity on the case as of now.
Khan’s family has filed a First Information Report at Govindgarh police station, News18 reported on Monday. One of the suspects has been detained. Various charges under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, including punishment for rioting and attempt to murder, have been invoked against the accused.
In April, dairy farmer Pehlu Khan was lynched by cow vigilantes in Alwar for transporting cows. The Rajasthan High Court on September 29 granted bail to the accused in the case.