In the incident that occurred near a temple in Mehargaon village on 5 June, a mob of cow vigilantes brutally beat Junaid Qureshi and Armaan over allegations of cow smuggling
NEW DELHI – The distraught father of a Muslim youth in Mehargaon village of Raisen district in Madhya Pradesh fights to hold back his tears as he recounts how his son, Junaid Qureshi, was beaten to death by a mob over suspicion of cow smuggling.
Hindutva elements, acting as cow vigilantes, have been wreaking havoc on the lives of innocent Muslims, especially in the states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with impunity and often with the alleged active connivance of the law enforcement authorities.
In the incident that occurred near a temple in Mehargaon village on the midnight of June 5, a mob of around 20 to 25 men claiming to be part of a cow protection group stopped the vehicle of the victims between Sanchi and Raisen and allegedly assaulted them, according to family members of the victims.
Cow vigilantes brutally beat Junaid Qureshi and his companion Armaan over the allegations of cow smuggling, reports reaching here said on Wednesday.
The group of cow vigilantes also looted approximately Rs 2 lakh from the two men, family members claimed.
The 35-year-old Junaid Qureshi, who operated a dairy business in Bhopal’s Jinsi area, along with Armaan, was transporting seven cows and one bull in a pickup truck near Mehargaon village when they were waylaid by the mob, media reports said.
The victims were rushed to Hamidia Hospital in Bhopal, admitted to the ICU, with Junaid placed on ventilator support. He succumbed to his injuries on the morning of June 17, while the other victim remains in critical condition.
Holding back his tears, Junaid’s grieving father told the media, “My son was innocent. He worked as a labourer. Even if he was carrying cows, why couldn’t this be investigated properly? Who gave the mob the right to kill him? What kind of country are we becoming?”
In the video footage that surfaced after the attack, a man named Dhruv Chaturvedi, who identified himself as part of the cow protection group, claimed, “We got information that cows were tied near the Mehargaon temple. When we chased the vehicle, we were attacked with stones. We saved the cows by risking our lives.”
However, in another video, police officer Anandilal Suryavanshi could be seen reprimanding Chaturvedi, saying, “What you did to your driver — that beating — was wrong. You should have informed the police instead of taking the law into your own hands.”
Sanchi Tehsil police station in-charge Nitin Ahirwar confirmed that three to four accused have been arrested, while more than 10 others remain at large. A search operation is underway in Vidisha and surrounding areas, he said. An FIR has been registered with charges including attempt to murder and rioting with deadly weapons.
