AMN / WEB DESK
Rajasthan Police has detained six people in connection with the death of two Muslim men, whose skeletal remains were found inside a charred vehicle in Haryana’s Bhiwani on Thursday.
Family members of the deceased men, whose identity police have yet to confirm, alleged that the two were abducted from their village in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur.
Police said one of the victims was involved in cases of cow smuggling and a probe is on to determine if the crime was a case of cow vigilantism.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot condemned the incident and said police have been directed to take strict action in the matter.
Nasir (25) and Junaid alias Juna (35), both residents of Ghatmeeka village in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, were allegedly abducted on Wednesday and their bodies were found inside a burnt car in Loharu in Bhiwani on Thursday morning.
The families of the deceased alleged in their police complaint that the people who abducted the two men were from the Bajrang Dal.
“Half a dozen people have been detained and are being interrogated. Those named in the FIR are associated with the Bajrang Dal but whether they were involved in the crime or not is yet to be ascertained,” Inspector General of Police, Bharatpur range, Gaurav Srivastava said.
Junaid had a past criminal record of bovine smuggling. Five cases were registered against him at different police stations, the officer said.
An FIR has been registered at Gopalgarh police station against five people — Anil, Srikant, Rink Saini, Lokesh Singhla and Monu — on the basis of a complaint lodged by the victims’ family members and teams have been formed to nab the accused.
The accused have been booked under sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 365 (kidnapping), 367 (grievously hurt after kidnapping) and 368 (wrongfully keeping in confinement) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), he said.
Education Minister Zahida Khan reached Ghatmeeka village to take stock of the situation.
On the victims’ families alleging the Bajrang Dal’s role in the killings, the Rajasthan BJP said it is not justified to malign an organisation before the investigation is completed.
“Whether the accused have links with the Bajrang Dal or are cow vigilantes, it is a matter of investigation. It is not justified to malign any organisation. It will be better if the police take action against those who are guilty,” state BJP spokesperson Ramlal Sharma told reporters.
Kin blame ‘gau rakshaks’
The deceased, Nasir (27) and Junaid (35) of Gopalgarh village in Bharatpur, were allegedly abducted by a group of ‘gau rakshaks’ (cow protectors) and their charred remains were found inside their Bolero vehicle recovered today from near the fields in Barwas village of Loharu sub-division in Bhiwani reports Tribune. One of the victims is learnt to have been facing several cases of cow smuggling. In his complaint to the police, Junaid’s brother Ismail, accused Bajrang Dal activists, ‘gau rakshaks’ and the CIA team of Ferozpur Jhirka (Nuh) of first lynching the duo and then setting their bodies ablaze inside the vehicle. He said the duo were visiting a nearby place to get household items when they were waylaid. The Rajasthan Police, however, have only registered a case of abduction against ‘gau rakshaks’ and Bajrang Dal activists Monu Manesar of Gurugram and Shrikant Marora of Nuh. The police have not yet clarified about the recovery of any cattle.
“We have eyewitnesses who say the ‘gau rakshaks’ and the CIA team intercepted the duo. Scared for their lives, they tried to escape but the police rammed their vehicle into the Bolero. People saw the policemen and seven-right ‘gau rakshaks’ dragging the victims into the CIA vehicle and taking them away.
“After beating them black and blue, the Bajrang Dal activists and the CIA team took them to the police station in Ferozpur Jhirka. But the police personnel there refused to take them into custody in view of their critical condition,” alleged Ismail. The families by afternoon received a call about their charred vehicle found in Loharu along with the bodies.