Cow Vigilantes Strip, Brutally Assault Four Muslim Men in UP Over 'Beef' Suspicion
New Delhi: Four Muslim men were waylaid and brutally assaulted by a Hindutva mob in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh on May 24. Three are critical.
The four men have been identified as Arbaz, Aqeel, Kadim, and Munna Khan – all residents of the Atrauli town in Aligarh.
Videos of the attack have been shared multiple times on social media. The four men were allegedly stripped by the mob and attacked with sharp weapons, bricks, sticks, and rods.
They are understood to have been rescued by the local police after sustaining grievous injuries. Three of the four are critically hurt and are undergoing treatment at a hospital. “I cannot describe the injuries. You can watch the videos. My son is fighting for his life in the hospital,” Aqueel’s father Salim Khan, said.
According to the FIR filed by Salim, the four men were returning to Atrauli in a pick-up truck carrying meat from the nearby Al-Ammar frozen foods meat factory in Aligarh on May 24. At around 8:30 am, the meat-laden pick-up vehicle was intercepted at the Sadhu Ashram near the Harduaganj police station. Hindutva outfits claimed that they had been tipped-off about beef smuggling taking place on the route. The FIR mentions VHP leader Rajkumar Arya and BJP leader Arjun Singh amongst the 13 accused identified by name.
Salim alleged that the four men were forcibly pushed out of the vehicle. The bill of the purchased meat was allegedly torn and thrown away. They were allegedly told to pay an amount to be set free. “When Aqeel and his cousin refused to pay the money,” Salim said, “their car was vandalized, overturned, and set on fire.” The attackers allegedly robbed the mobile phones and money of the four men. The meat was thrown on the road, videos of the attack show. Three of them, according to Salim, were left in a near-death situation. The assailants only left after the arrival of the police. However, some videos show that the assault continued even after the police came.
SP Amrit Jain told reporters that the meat was sent for sampling. He added that the four men were rescued and admitted to a hospital – Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital – by the police, and that all allegations are being investigated.
#Aligarh l #Aligarhpolice
थाना हरदुआगंज- अन्तर्गत सूचना प्राप्त हुई कि कुछ लोग पशुओं को काटकर अपनी गाडी में सप्लाई कर रहे है, कुछ ग्रामीणों ने उन्हे रोका था व उनके साथ मारपीट की थी, प्राप्त सूचना पर तत्काल वरिष्ठ अधिकारी व स्थानीय पुलिस मौके पर पहुँची , पब्लिक द्वारा पिटने वाले… pic.twitter.com/gW94GfKQQs— ALIGARH POLICE (@aligarhpolice) May 24, 2025
Fact-checker Mohammad Zubair also posted details of Al-Ammar frozen foods exports – including Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) registration and other certificates – and pointed out that it is registered as a buffalo meat export company. He also posted a photo of the gate pass of the Al-Ammar factory which mentions "buffalo bone in meat" in the description column. The timing and vehicle number matches with the details in the FIR. It appears to have been signed by Kadim, one of the four men.
As mentioned in the FIR filed against 'Cow Protectors', The Vehicle number matches with number mentioned in receipt. Also, see the description of the item. 'Buffalo bone in meat'.
Al-Ammar Frozen foods exports Pvt. Ltd is a registered buffalo beef export company and meat… pic.twitter.com/HT3j0Jy6zF— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) May 25, 2025
UP exports 388,680 metric tonnes of buffalo meat, i.e., 30% of total buffalo meat exports from India.
A first information report (FIR) under the following sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) has been registered against the accused: 191(2) (rioting), 191(3) (rioting with a deadly weapon), 190 (every member of an unlawful group is responsible for the crime), 109 (attempt to murder), 308(5) (extortion by issuing death threats), 310(2) (dacoity), and 3(5) (joint criminal liability of an unlawful violent assembly).
A separate FIR has been filed against the four Muslim men by one Vijay Bajrangi under Section 3, 5, and 8 of the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955. The FIR says that the meat-laden car was followed after a tip-off that it was carrying beef.
In the FIR the complaint said, “I was following the pick-up on my bike and I tried to stop the vehicle. The driver attempted to mow me down. I lost balance and fell into a pit, but the pick-up also overturned.” The FIR further alleged that the ‘cow-smugglers’ had attacked the villagers. But when the news of cow carcasses being present spread, they were cornered and admitted to paying a Rs 3 lakh bribe to the police to smuggle beef. They also mentioned that 15 days ago, the same car was caught but police complicity let the men go scot-free. Police had told them that the vehicle had buffalo meat and the men had a licence.
Listen to the video byte of SP leader and relative of one of the victims who was beaten by self proclaimed 'Cow Rakshaks'.
The SP leader calms the 'Cow Protectors' regularly halt vehicles carrying buffalo meat from registered factories and extort money, and if they don't, they… pic.twitter.com/dJDrznNmL5— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) May 25, 2025
Salim concurred with parts of this story but differed on key details. He said that 15 days ago, the same group of men had stopped the vehicle transporting meat from Al-Ammar Meat Factory, demanding Rs 50,000 as ‘passage’ money. The police, he said, had promptly intervened, and rescued the vehicle. Had the police not arrived, these ‘criminals’ would have caused significant harm, Salim added.
Salim noted that their livelihoods had been at stake for a while now.
“We don't know the Bajrang Dal… We know our work has been destroyed after this government came to power. We were told by SSP sahib to bring the meat from factories and we did it. We had a licence and it was buffalo meat. But still…” Salim said.
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