Balasore: Odisha Police has arrested three persons in Balasore district and launched a manhunt to nab others allegedly involved in the lynching of a man suspected of cattle smuggling, an officer said Friday.
The incident has triggered sharp political reactions, with leaders of Opposition parties blaming the state BJP government for what they described as a rise in cases of religious intolerance.
Stating that the incident had taken place Wednesday, Balasore Sadar sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Subhranshu Sekhar Nayak said initially a complaint was lodged regarding a road accident.
Later, the victim’s brother, in a written complaint, alleged that Sk Makandar Mohammad of Astia village died due toa mob attack. Two FIRs were registered at Balasore Sadar police station, he said.
We have arrested three persons, and they were forwarded to judicial custody Thursday. Police have launched a search operation to arrest others involved in the mob attack, the SDPO told PTI.
The accused were booked under Section 103(2) (murder committed by a mob) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Reacting to the incident, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, who is on a two-day tour to the state, said, BJP’s agenda is communal. It takes the communal route whenever it weakens or fails to deliver on its election manifesto commitments.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das in an X post said, The brutal lynching of a 35-year-old Muslim man by cow vigilantes in Balasore over cattle transportation is a grave collapse of law and order in Odisha. No allegation can ever legitimise mob rule or vigilante justice. Taking a life in the name of suspicion is a crime, not justice. Govt must ensure strict accountability and urgently reaffirm the rule of law.
Opposition BJD general secretary Lekhasri Samantsinghar expressed concern over the cold-blooded murder in Balasore, group clashes in Sundargarh and rising violence in the state.
Odisha has been witnessing social unrest ever since the BJP government came to power in the state. It appears that the ruling government has a role behind all such social unrest, she alleged.
BJP leaders were yet to react to the incident.
According to police, Sk Makandar Mohammad was allegedly attacked by a group of people who suspected him of smuggling cattle. The man later succumbed to his injuries in Balasore headquarters hospital.
According to a written complaint by his family, the deceased was working as a helper in a pick-up van. When the vehicle was on its way near Sahada village under Sadar police station limits January 14, a group of people armed with sharp weapons stopped the van carrying cattle and attacked the driver and helper.
Both the driver and helper were seriously injured in the attack, and Sk Makandar Mohammad died at the hospital the same day, police said.
Police rescued the cattle and released them at the Maa Bharati Goshala.