Rajasthan: Young Man Killed as Cow Vigilantes Clash With Men Transporting Cattle

New Delhi: A young man was killed in a clash between cow vigilantes and people who were transporting cattle, with reports quoting claims by his family that he was a bystander and not involved in the skirmish at all.

The New Indian Express has reported that the deceased man Aamir's family has alleged that he was shot dead by workers of Bajrang Dal. Police are investigating whether the death was by gunshot or stone.

A Dainik Bhaskar English report identifies Aamir as a 28-year-old resident of Utawad, in Palwal district of Haryana. He was married and has a two-year-old daughter.

TNIE notes that the death has set the town on edge.

Bhiwadi DSP Kailash Choudhary is quoted by TNIE as having said that a pickup truck loaded with cattle was being chased by a group of people when a confrontation took place near the Sare Kala village. Stone was pelted by both sides, the police said. The same DSP is quoted in Bhaskar as having said that Aamir was in the pickup truck.

His family has however said that Aamir was standing by the wayside when the violence began. "He was killed in cold blood," Aamir's uncle Yahya told TNIE.

After a post-mortem examination conducted around 5 pm, the body was handed over to the family.

It is not clear if those transporting cattle were "smugglers" as some reports have claimed.

Rajasthan is the scene of violent crimes arising from cow vigilantism, almost all of which affect people belonging to Muslim and Dalit communities. The 2017 murder of Pehlu Khan and the 2018 lynching of Rakbar Khan are cases in point.

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