Muslim Man Lynched for Allegedly Stealing Cattle in UP’s Bareilly

Police said that a case has been registered and investigation is underway. No arrests have been made so far.

Photo used for representation. 

(Photo: Rhythum Seth/The Quint)

On the night of 29 August, a 20-year old man was lynched by a mob in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly area for allegedly stealing a buffalo, ANI reported. The incident took place near Bareilly’s Bholapur Hindoliya district when villagers suspected that Shahrukh Khan along with three men allegedly tried stealing a buffalo.

While the other three escaped, the villager caught hold of Khan and was severely beaten. When the police arrived, on seeing the condition of Khan, he was taken to the district hospital. He succumbed to injuries during his treatment.

Following the incident, Khan’s family denied the allegations of him stealing the cattle, saying that he worked in Dubai. They also added that Khan was a ‘self-sufficient’ man, NDTV reported.

‘It Was a Case of Mob Lynching’

Speaking to ANI, Superintendent of Bareilly police, Abhinandan Singh said that the villagers had informed the police about the incident over a phone call. Upon their arrival, seeing Khan’s condition, he was rushed to the district hospital where he succumbed to death.

Initially, the police said that Khan died of drug overdose, NDTV reported. However, in the postmortem report, it was revealed that he died of internal injuries to his liver and kidneys, the news channel added. Further speaking to the news channel, Singh added:

It was a case of mob lynching. Four men had gone to the village to steal a buffalo around 2.30 am, but they were caught. Three of them jumped into a pond and escaped. But Khan didn’t know how to swim so he was left behind.

Abhinandan Singh, Superintendent of Bareilly police

Police added that a case has been registered and investigation is underway. So far, no arrests have been made from either sides of villagers along with the three men who fled.

(With inputs from ANI and NDTV)