Odisha: 3 Lynchings in 5 Months, How Mob Violence Is Increasing Under BJP's Rule

Odisha recorded 2,400 cases of cattle smuggling between 2019 and 2024. Violence was reported in over 60% of cases.

The Quint examines the lynching incidents in Odisha over the past few months to understand how and why the violence is increasing, and who is behind these incidents.

Illustration: The Quint/@Kamran Akhter

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Odisha has been in the headlines for the past few months as reports of mob lynchings and hate crimes have been continuously emerging from this BJP-ruled state. This has raised questions about the state's law and order situation and the protection of minority rights. In one case, a Muslim man was beaten to death on charges of cow smuggling, while in another, a migrant worker was lynched on the suspicion of being an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant.

The Quint examines the lynching incidents in Odisha over the past few months to understand how and why the violence is increasing, and who is behind these incidents.

Incident 1: Lynching of a Muslim man in Sambalpur

For 26-year-old Manori Bibi, the morning of 14 January is like a nightmare. Her eyes fill with tears as she remembers that day. Her family is still in shock. In Odisha's Balasore district, 35-year-old Sheikh Makandar Mohammad was allegedly beaten to death by people on suspicion of cow smuggling . Sheikh Makandar worked as a mason and his wages supported the family.

Speaking to The Quint, Manori Bibi said, "I received a call from Basti at 6:30 in the morning. That's when I learned that he (Makandar) had been assaulted and was admitted to the hospital. We then went to the hospital, we were told that his condition was very serious."

The lynching of Sheikh Makandar in early 2026 has raised questions about the law and order in Odisha This is the latest and the third incident of lynching in the last five months.

Makandar's family has accused Bajrang Dal workers of assault.

"I was told that bhaiya was admitted to the hospital. When I reached the hospital, his condition was very serious. I tried to talk to him, and he told me the names of four-five people. After this, he died."

Sheikh Jitendra Mohammed, younger brother of the deceased

A case was registered at the Balasore Sadar police station under Section 103(2) (mob lynching) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. Police have arrested six people.

Screenshot of the viral video and a copy of the FIR

(Accessed by The Quint)

On the question of the accused being associated with any organisation, Superintendant of Police Pratyush Diwakar had said, "Nothing like this can be said right now. Only after further investigation will it be clear what was the reason for the fight and whether the accused are associated with any organisation."

Pandit Mahesh Sahu, General Secretary of the Odisha Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), said, "Some people have made it a habit to say that whenever there's violence anywhere, the Bajrang Dal members did it. This has become their practice. But when the common man in the society becomes aware, who can stop them? We must also examine the reasons behind the incidents that are taking place."

'They Kept Beating Him, Making Him Chant Jai Shri Ram'

A video of this incident has also gone viral across social media, showing some people assaulting Makandar. In the purported video, the accused can be heard forcing Makandar to chant "Jai Shri Ram" and "Cow is my mother," which he does. In spite of that, he was continued to be beaten.

"What is the law for? It's not right to take the law into your own hands. Is beating someone to death justice?"

Sheikh Jitendra Mohammed, younger brother of the deceased

Makandar leaves behind his wife and three young children, his youngest daughter just two months old. His father suffers from paralysis. The family is mired in poverty and debt.

According to a report in The Hindu, the Crime Branch of Odisha Police stated that an average of 20 incidents of cow-related obstruction and violence have been reported every month in Odisha since mid-2025.

Incident 2: Migrant Worker Killed on Suspicion of Being an Illegal Bangladeshi Immigrant

Last year on Christmas Eve in Sambalpur, three labourers from West Bengal were allegedly assaulted by some people, who accused them of being illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. One of them died in the incident. The deceased was identified as 20-year-old Juel Sheikh. The two other injured were identified as Sanwar Hussain and Akaur. The incident occurred in the Danipali area, which falls under ​​the Ainthapali Police Station.

According to reports, the deceased was a resident of Bahadurpur village in West Bengal's Murshidabad district. He had come to Odisha to look for work just five days before the incident.

Saddam Hussain, who worked with the victims, filed a police complaint. Speaking to The Quint, Saddam said Sanwar Hussain had informed him about the incident.

When asked if the migrant labourers were assaulted after being accused of being Bangladeshi immigrants, Saddam told The Quint, "That did happen."

Recalling the incident of 24 December as Sanwar had narrated, Saddam added, "The accused had asked these three (Juyel Sheikh, Sanwar Hussain and Akaur) for a beedi. Then, they asked for their Aadhaar card. One of them went into the room to bring their Aadhar cards. Meanwhile, the men started beating them."

Other workers present at the spot took the three injured to the hospital, where doctors declared Juel Sheikh dead.

Copy of the written complaint given to the police in the Juel Sheikh death case.

(Accessed by The Quint)

In the case of Jual Sheikh's death, the police had registered a case under various sections, including 103(1) (murder) and 109(1) (attempt to murder) of the BNS and arrested six accused.

According to a report by news agency PTI , police claimed the incident stemmed from a dispute over a beedi.

The New Indian Express quoted Inspector General of Police (IG) Himanshu Lal as saying that Sheikh's murder was a "sudden provocation" and not a "targeted attack."

The Quint has reached out to the Sambalpur police to find out if any further details have emerged from their investigation into the case. This report will be updated once they respond.

'They Targeted Me Because I Speak Bengali'

Following this incident, there is an atmosphere of fear among migrant workers. Seven workers have fled and returned to Murshidabad. Saddam is one of them. He said, "People from Odisha come here, but we don't say anything. But when we go there, we are oppressed. That's why our families don't want us to go there."

He further said,

"Earlier, such incidents did not happen. Now, with the coming of the BJP government, such things are happening frequently. We speak Bengali, hence we are considered Bangladeshis. We are targeted only because of speaking Bengali."

Saddam explains that he has returned home, but finding employment is a problem. He used to get a fair wage for work in Odisha, but that's not the case here.

Contractor Haq Saheb said that since this incident, no workers are willing to go to Odisha. "For fear of violence, no workers want to go to Sambalpur," he said.

According to reports, two days after the Sambalpur incident, a 35-year-old vendor from West Bengal was assaulted in Bhadrak. The attackers accused him of being an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant.

Incident 3: Dalit Man Beaten to Death for 'Cow Slaughter'

Mansi, 30, of Kansar village in Deogarh district, was busy with household chores as usual. Her husband, Kishore Chamar, 35, had left home early that morning. When Mansi called her husband at 11 am, someone answered the call, but they couldn't be heard. She then called several more times, but the phone was switched off.

This incident occurred on 3 September 2025 in Kundeijuri village, which falls under the Riymal Police Station. Mansi's husband, Kishore Chamar, and his friend, Gautam Naik, were assaulted by some people, who accused the two of cow slaughter. Kishore died in the incident.

Speaking to The Quint, Mansi said, "I kept calling, but his phone was off. After a while, I got a call saying that my husband had been assaulted. By the time I reached the spot with my brother-in-law, he had already died." She added:

Mansi said, "We had given one of our cows to Gautam Naik, a resident of Kundaijuri, to keep. For some reason, the cow died. My husband had gone to remove the skin of the dead cow. During this, some people caught hold of both of them and beat them up. In the process, my husband died. Later, the police admitted Gautam to the hospital."

Kishore Chamar (left), copy of written complaint (right)

(Accessed by The Quint)

Police arrested six accused in this case. Speaking to The Quint, Devgarh Superintendent of Police Anil Mishra said, "The accused are not affiliated with any organisation. They were from the same village. They received information that a cow was being slaughtered, which led to the violence."

He also stated that the charge sheet in the case was filed within 90 days of the FIR being registered. The trial will begin soon.

Responding to this, VHP's Sahu said, "We have control over the workers of Bajrang Dal and VHP. But there are many people in the society who are not our workers, yet they work for cow protection and stop religious conversion. We have no control over them."

Since Kishore's death, the responsibility of three children and the household has fallen on Mansi's shoulders. She said, "We haven't received any help from the government yet. My children have dropped out of school. I have a debt of 70,000-80,000 rupees. I don't know how to raise them and repay the debt."

According to a Hindustan Times report, a Criminal Investigation Department official said that 139 cases of cattle smuggling were registered in 2019, 267 in 2020, 371 in 2021, 386 in 2022, 620 in 2023 and 630 in 2024. Violence was reported in more than 60 percent of these cases.

'We Only Serve Cows'

Team Radha Madhav Das claims to serve cows in Odisha. Speaking to The Quint, the team's leader, Radha Madhav Das, said, "Our group is a team of cow protectors. We don't go after smugglers. We serve cattle injured in accidents or those rescued by the police from smugglers in our cow shelter. And we report any anti-Hindu activities we see."

A month ago, a video of Radha Madhav Das went viral on social media, in which he was seen discouraging hawkers from selling Santa Claus costumes. This video was reportedly from near the Jagannath Puri temple.

Regarding the viral video, Das said, "All I told those people was that if you want to sell, then sell things related to Lord Jagannath. Have you ever seen anyone selling things related to Lord Jagannath near a church or a mosque? Then why would these people sell things of other religions in front of a temple?" He added:

"These people don't have any identity cards. They come from somewhere and commit crimes day and night. They are involved in everything from child kidnapping to car theft. This is why we protest."

Team RMD has 17,000 members. Madhav Das claims that his team serves over 5,000 cows.

'Is It a Sin to Be a Hindu in India?'

Regarding the lynching incidents, RMD member Prashant said, "People of other religions will certainly say that their members were beaten to death. But no one is saying anything about the murder of our Hindu brother six months ago."

"If killing Muslims is wrong, killing a Hindu brother is also wrong. It takes two to make a quarrel," he added.

A cow vigilante, allegedly injured in an attack by cattle smugglers, died in June 2025. He was hospitalized for 13 days after the said attack but succumed to his injuries. Following the incident, the internet in Bhadrak was shut down for 24 hours due to the tense situation.

Police arrested 12 accused in the case. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh and a job for one of the family members of the deceased.

The deceased was identified as Santosh Parida, 45, a resident of Kasati village.

Pandit Mahesh Sahu retorted, "Why wasn't the Bhadrak case discussed? Because he's a Hindu. Meaning, is it a sin to be a Hindu in India? Protecting the cow, preventing religious conversions—is it a sin?"

'Rule of the Majority, Not of the Law'

Human rights activists have expressed serious concern over such cases and hate crimes. Human rights activist Vishwapriya Kanungo said, "Our secular structure is weakening. Theories of hate and intolerance towards minorities are increasing day by day."

"We can call this not the rule of law, but the rule of majoritarianism. So this is a violation of the rule of law. This is a violation of the framework of the Constitution, this is a violation of the basic structure of the Constitution."

'Odisha an Epicentre of Hate Crimes'

The opposition is attacking the state BJP government over cases of lynching and hate crimes. Speaking to The Quint, Odisha Congress media vice president Amiya Pandav said, "This is being done with complete deliberation."

"Lynchings used to be rare in Odisha. But now we're seeing more of them. Odisha used to be known as a peaceful state, but now it seems to be competing with other Hindi heartland states in hate crime cases," he added.

Odisha has witnessed numerous cases of hate crimes since last year. Recently, a video of a priest being assaulted went viral. According to reports, this incident occurred on 4 January in Parjang village, Dhenkanal district. Previously, a video of a Muslim youth being assaulted also went viral.

The BJP has dismissed reports of lynching as false. Party spokesperson Anil Biswal said, "There has been no lynching incident. The various media reports are nothing like this. This is just a criminal incident."

Responding to the Congress's allegations, Biswal said, "The very nature of Congress politics is that it tries to blame the majority population. This is their Muslim appeasement politics, which they use to their advantage."

Following the Balasore incident, Keonjhar police raided more than 40 locations across four districts to combat cattle smuggling, seizing Rs 1.4 crore in cash and a large quantity of gold jewelry. The action was carried out in Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, and Jajpur districts following a complaint lodged at the Daitari police station.