Muslim man lynched over cow slaughter rumour in western UP

A Muslim cattle trader was allegedly beaten to death by a lynch mob in Western Uttar Pradesh’s Hapur, putting the region on edge and compelling the state police to rush reinforcements to two villages on Tuesday.

The lynching took place in a Thakur-dominated village on Monday afternoon and claimed the life of 38-year-old Qasim. Another man, 65-year-old Shamiuddin, is in a critical condition. Both belonged to Madhpura and were killed in the neighbouring village of Bajhera Khurd.

Villagers and police gave conflicting versions of the attack.

A Madhpura resident said the attackers accused the duo of having tied up two cows for slaughter. The police denied the cow slaughter angle, and said the attack had been triggered by road rage. According to the FIR, a young man from Bajhera hit Qasim and Shamiuddin with his motorcycle and an altercation ensued. The man then mobilised a mob that attacked Qasim and Shamiuddin.