Had he known transportation of cows for diary business was also a crime, he would have avoided doing so, said…
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Had he known transportation of cows for diary business was also a crime, he would have avoided doing so, said one of the Alwar attack victims, Shafiq, nephew of Pehlu Khan, who was allegedly lynched by cow vigilantes.
At a press conference at the Jamaat-e-Islami (JIH) headquarters on Saturday, Shafiq narrated how the mob beat them up in Rajasthna's Alwar district on Monday night. He claimed that the "cow vigilantes looted him of Rs 45,000 and took away his uncle's Rs 25,000 besides five cows and calves".
He and his uncle had intended to purchase buffalos from a livestock fair in Jaipur but as they did not have enough money they bought jersey cows and calves and hired two tempos to transport them with all the requisite documents, Shafiq said.
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The incident took place on the Behror highway in Alwar, when 15 Muslim men from Haryana were attacked by cow vigilantes even after they showed the documents to prove that they had bought the cows legally.
"I was at 15 minutes distance from my uncle's tempo…When I reached the crime scene; I saw a mob of over 200 people beating my uncle. I was also caught by them and beaten with hockey sticks, iron rods, etc. They were shouting 'burn them to death', but police dispersed them," said Shafiq with tears in his eyes. He showed the wounds on his chest, ears and back and pleaded for justice.
"Two or three cow vigilantes were even asked by the policemen to flee," said Shafiq, alleging that the cops did not apprehend them.
JIH secretary General Salim Engineer assured Shafiq of all help and said he would take all legal means to ensure justice to the victims. He also condemned the killing of Pehlu Khan and deplored the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ever since the BJP-led government came to power at the Centre, hate crimes and attacks on Muslims and Dalits have increased, he alleged. "The Centre and state governments must put to put an end to such incidents," he demanded.
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