A 50-year-old Muslim man, accused of stealing cattle, was beaten to death by a mob in Bihar’s Araria district on Wednesday, The Indian Express reported on Friday.
The incident took place in Bhavanipur village. According to reports, a resident reportedly saw a group of men stealing cattle that belonged to another villager and alarmed the other people.
The in-charge of the Fulkaha police station, Nagina Kumar under whose jurisdiction the village falls said that a group of residents of the village then tried to catch hold of those who were allegedly stealing cattle. One of the men who were being chased had fired a gun in the air.
“However, while others managed to flee the spot taking advantage of the fog, Mohammed Siddiqui was caught and beaten up by the people with wooden sticks… There was an estimated gathering of around 100 people,” Kumar told The Indian Express.
As per reports, the police have filed an FIR and were speaking to the residents of the Bhavanipur village to identify the attackers.
Talking to The Hindu, an unidentified senior police officer in Araria said that his department regularly receives complaints of cattle theft, but not of mob violence. “Arrests will be made soon in the case,” the cop added.
