Bengali rag picker beaten to death by cow protectors for allegedly eating beef; 5 people arrested

A gang of cow protectors allegedly lynched and beat to death Sabir Malik, a migrant worker from West Bengal, in Charkhi Dadri district of Haryana. The accused suspected Malik of eating beef.

Lynching in Haryana: A migrant worker from West Bengal was beaten to death allegedly by members of a 'cow protection group' in Charkhi Dadri district of Haryana. According to police, the victim, Sabir Malik, was lynched by the cow protectors who suspected him of eating beef.

A senior police official said the incident took place on August 27 when the five accused, identified as Abhishek, Mohit, Ravinder, Kamaljit and Sahil, called Malik to a shop on the pretext of selling him empty plastic bottles.

The accused, who belong to a vigilante group that works to enforce cow rights, suspected that Malik had eaten beef and brutally attacked him when he entered the shop, the official said, adding that after some people intervened, the attackers took the victim to another place and beat him to death there.

The deceased, Sabir Malik, originally from West Bengal, was a rag picker who earned his living by collecting waste and rags and lived in a hut near Bandhra village in Charkhi Dadri district, police said, adding that all five accused have been arrested.

Two young people were also arrested in this connection, it was said.

The police have filed a chargesheet against the accused under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and further investigation into the matter is underway, an official said.

(With PTI inputs)