Muslim attacked by cow vigilantes dies in Ahmedabad

A 25-year-old Muslim man who was thrashed brutally allegedly by cow vigilantes on September 13 died at a hospital here on Friday night, police said on Saturday.

The Gujarat government has constituted a special investigation team (SIT) led by a Superintendent of Police (Special Operations Group) and two police inspectors and sub-inspectors each to probe the incident. A police officer on duty was placed on suspension.

Mohammad Ayyub Mev was admitted to municipal VS Hospital after he was thrashed by unidentified persons on the SG Highway on the night of September 13 on allegations that he was into trafficking of cows.

Ayub's sports utility vehicle carrying a bullock and a calf had met with an accident on the highway, now virtually a part of the city.

Anandnagar police station inspector P.B. Rana said that while the calf died in the accident the bullock survived. On seeing this, some bystanders lunged towards Ayub shouting that he was carrying the animals for slaughter.

As Ayub started running, the crowd chased him and attacked him.

"A case of attempt to murder was lodged against the mob, but now that the man has died, we will file an FIR for murder," the inspector said.

No one has been arrested so far. No cow protection group has been identified so far and the complaint is against unknown persons.

Ayub's family kicked up a ruckus at the hospital on Friday night demanding that the culprits be arrested. His wife and mother, along with brother, refused to accept his body.

"Those who killed my brother were indeed gau rakshaks (cow vigilantes). My brother was not carrying any cow. Out of some grudge, these gau rakshaks mercilessly thrashed him. We want the police to nab the real culprits," said his brother Imran.

The BJP-ruled state was rocked by a huge controversy in July when some Dalit youths were flogged in public by cow vigilantes at Una's taluka Mota Samadhiyala village in Saurashtra region for skinning a dead cow.

--IANS

desai/rn/bg