The Indian Express had earlier reported that an FIR was registered in the case stating that the incident took place in front of policemen but the accused managed to leave without giving their names. Days after a 40-year-old caretaker of a farmhouse was lynched by 10-15 men on suspicion of cow slaughter in Dwarka, police arrested two men from the Delhi-Haryana border.
The victim, Rajaram, lived with his family at the farmhouse and was working on April 11 when the accused, claiming to be gau rakshaks, barged in past midnight and assaulted him as well as some other workers at the spot. The accused had reached the farmhouse a while before police, too, reached the spot.
The Indian Express had earlier reported that an FIR was registered in the case stating that the incident took place in front of policemen but the accused managed to leave without giving their names.
DCP (Dwarka) Shankar Choudhary said, “Our teams had rushed all the six men to RTRM hospital where Rajaram succumbed to injuries. Soon after, FIRs were lodged and teams were sent to look for the men involved in the assault case, but they had fled from their homes. We conducted an investigation and, using technical evidence, identified 5-6 men.”
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Police said they have arrested two men who lived in the vicinity of the farmhouse, Ankit (25) and Praveen (26). They work as farm labourers and live in Chhawla. Initial questioning does not suggest the duo are associated with the Gau Raksha Dal, police said. During questioning, the men told police they were called to the spot by 3-4 locals who claimed to have seen cow carcasses being taken in vans from the farmhouse.
“The accused still claim they only scolded the victim… However, we have evidence such as their phone location and video footage that they were at the spot with the other accused. We are looking for 5-6 others who are on the run. The men said they saw cows being slaughtered and their associates attacked the victim and his men,” said an officer.
The two men have so far been booked for assault, said police, adding that more stringent sections could be added as their questioning progresses.
Those absconding have been charged with IPC section 302 (murder) too.
Police had also booked the men who were assaulted under charges of cow slaughter. “We had sent the animal remains to Ghazipur hospital and are awaiting autopsy reports,” DCP Choudhary said.
Meanwhile, Rajaram’s wife Jhaso Devi said the family has no work because police also took eight cows and calves as part of the case property: “I have two young daughters and a son to look after. We used to sell cow milk to earn. How will we survive now? My husband would never kill cows.”
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
