2 lynched in MP on suspicion of cow slaughter

Two tribal men died while another was injured after members of a Hindu right-wing group assaulted them over suspicion of cow slaughter in Madhya Pradesh’s Seoni district on Tuesday, police said.

According to the police, a group of about 15-20 men went to the house of the victims and assaulted them. While two tribals died on their way to the hospital, the third was admitted in hospital with minor injuries, police said.

“Two tribal men have died. It was alleged a group of 15-20 people went to the victims’ house, accused them of killing a cow and assaulted them,” said additional superintendent of police, Seoni, SK Maravi.

The dead have been identified as Dhan Shah Inawati and Sampat Batti of Simariya village and injured as Brijesh Batti of Kurali village, said Kurali police station in-charge Ganpat Singh Uike.

A case has been registered against 15 members of a saffron outfit for rioting, murder, voluntarily causing hurt and under relevant sections of the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and six of the accused have been booked for murder, said the additional SP. No arrests have been made so far, he added.

“A case of murder has been registered on complaint of the injured tribal, Brajesh Batti. Police teams are searching for the accused. Some of the accused are named (in the complaint) and others are unidentified. We have taken two-three suspects into custody. Some 12 kg of meat has been found in the victims’ house,” Maravi said. He added that the meat has been sent for forensic examination.

In his complaint, Batti said the group reached the house of two tribals, Sampat Batti and Dhansa, with sticks, and started beating them alleging that they have killed a cow. When he went there, he too was beaten up, he alleged.

The Seoni superintendent of police and other senior officials visited the home of the victims.

Following the deaths, Congress legislator Arjun Singh Kakodia sat in protest on Jabalpur-Nagpur Highway, demanding action against the accused. He demanded a high-level probe into it and said the kin of the victims should be given ₹1 crore each as well as government jobs.

“I demand from the government that strict action be taken against the culprits by announcing a high-level inquiry into this incident. All possible help should be given to the families of the victims and arrangements for treatment of the injured man at government expense,” state Congress president Kamal Nath tweeted.

Nath said the kin of the deceased and local residents have claimed the involvement of Bajrang Dal in the incident. Quoting National Crime Records Bureau, the former chief minister said MP was the top state on crime against tribals.

(With agency inputs)