Two Held After Suspected ‘Cow Thieves’ Lynched in Assam’s Nagaon

An FIR has been lodged and investigation is underway in the case.

Senior police officials said the men, aged between 20-25 years, were severely beaten up by the mob. Image used for representational purposes. (Photo: The Quint)

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Two people were arrested on 1 May, a day after two men were beaten to death by a mob in Assam's Nagaon district on charges of stealing cattle.

The two men, aged between 20-25 years, were lynched on 30 April, senior police officials said. “When the police reached the spot, they were being thrashed by a mob of villagers near Kasamari grazing reserve under Nagaon police station,” Nagaon superintendent of police Debaraj Upadhay told PTI. He added:

The team immediately took the men to hospital, where they succumbed to their injuries

(Photo Courtesy: ANI)

The mob thrashed the men with sticks and chased them for about 1.5 km, from Kasamari in Nagaon police station area to Jajori police station area, he said.

Upadhay said the men have been identified identified and their parents have registered a complaint with the police. An FIR has been lodged and investigation is on, the SP said.

When asked to confirm if this was a case of "cow vigilantism", the senior official said Nagaon had witnessed a number of incidents relating to cattle theft.

In this case, I got reports that some people saw the two men trying to take away cows from the field and called more people from the village. When a large crowd gathered, they started thrashing them badly. 

The SP has assured of an "impartial enquiry" into the episode.

Although some incidents of cattle thieves being thrashed by mob have been reported from Assam earlier, this is the first casualty after cases of cow vigilantism have been reported in recent times across the nation.

(With inputs from ANI and PTI.)