Cattle smuggler dies during police chase in Rajasthan; family alleges lynching

High drama and tension prevailed on the Haryana-Rajasthan border after a 45-year-old man from Nuh district died while allegedly being chased by the Rajasthan Police in Pahadi village of Deeg district on Wednesday morning.

The deceased, identified as Jamil, a resident of Luhinga Kalan village in Nuh, reportedly had multiple cases of beef and camel meat smuggling registered against him in both states, according to the police.

Rajasthan Police claimed that Jamil fell from his motorcycle while trying to escape during a chase and later died at a hospital. However, the victim’s family has alleged that he was beaten to death, either by cow vigilantes or by policemen in plain clothes.

As news of Jamil’s death spread, villagers and relatives gathered outside Pahari police station, accusing the police of murder and demanding a case under Section 302 (murder) be registered before allowing the postmortem.

“We will not let the postmortem happen till a case of murder is registered and investigations start. How can he just drop dead like this? Police say it may be a heart attack or a stone injury, but villagers told us men in plain clothes thrashed him to death. We want a thorough inquiry,” said one of Jamil’s cousins, who led the protest at the border.

Following the unrest, security has been tightened along the interstate border, with police deployment from both Haryana and Rajasthan to prevent escalation.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Police has denied all allegations of foul play.

“He was a known cattle smuggler. We tried to catch him, but seeing the cops he panicked and tried to flee. He lost his balance and fell, becoming unconscious. We took him to a nearby medical facility, from where he was referred to the government hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. The postmortem will reveal the exact cause of death. There has been no lynching or murder,” said Yogendra Singh, SHO, Pahari, while speaking to The Tribune.

Police claimed to have recovered beef from his possession. The body has been kept for postmortem, which will be conducted on Thursday. The family has so far refused to claim the body, demanding a high-level probe.