Man lynched by ‘cow vigilantes’ on suspicion of transporting beef in Maharashtra’s Nashik; 11 held

Mumbai, June 26

A 32-year-old man was lynched allegedly by a group of ‘cow vigilantes’ on suspicion of transporting beef in Maharashtra’s Nashik district, police said on Monday.

This is the second incident in Nashik in nearly two weeks of killing of a person by ‘cow vigilantes’.

The latest incident took place at around 5.30 pm on Saturday near Gambhirwadi on the Ghoti-Sinnar Road in Igatpuri area of Nashik, located more than 150 km from Mumbai, an official said.

Eleven persons have been arrested in this connection, the Ghoti police said.

Two men from Kurla area in Mumbai, who were transporting meat in a car were attacked allegedly by a group of 10 to 15 ‘cow vigilantes’ with steel rods and wooden sticks, the official said.

The two men, Afan Ansari (32) and his associate Nasir Qureshi (24), who were on way to Mumbai, received serious injuries in the attack, he said.

Both were rushed to SMBT Hospital in Dhamangaon area where Ansari was declared dead during treatment, the official said, adding the other injured person was undergoing treatment.

Based on Qureshi’s complaint, the Ghoti police have arrested 11 persons and a case has been registered on charges of murder, he said.

The meat samples have been sent to a forensic lab for testing and further probe is under way into the case, he said.

On June 8, three men transporting cattle on a tempo were attacked allegedly a group of ‘cow vigilantes’, police earlier said.

The body of one of them, identified as Lukman Ansari (23), was recovered from a gorge at Ghatandevi in Igatpuri area on June 10, they said.