Self-proclaimed cow protectors are back – and with a bang, literally speaking. In a shocking incident reported from Haryana’s Gurugram, dozens of men were seen assaulting a man with a hammer, even as police looked on. His crime: ferrying buffaloes, which the gang thought were cows, in a truck in the area.
According to an NDTV report, the incident took place on Friday night at around 9 pm. The driver, who has been identified as Lukman, was pulled out and brutally assaulted, reminding people of the shocking 2015 Dadri lynching that took place in Noida, also on the outskirts of the national capital.
Both cases are similar in a few ways, the report added. Besides the nature of the assault, the police was also reacted faster when it came to identifying the type of meat rather than checking on the victim and getting the accused arrested. This is despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing that killing or assaulting people in the name of devotion to cows was not acceptable in India.
The police incidentally only intervened after the mob put Lukman was put into a pick-up truck where he was assaulted again. He was then taken to a hospital and the police filed a complaint against "unidentified individuals". However, Indian Express journalist Sakshi Dayal, who is reporting the incident, has said that one person has been arrested.
The owner of the vehicles said that the meat was buffalo and he has been in the business for 50 years.
So far, the police have refused to give a statement on record on the incident and explain their inaction as seen on video.