Hours after PM Modi's speech, man accused of carrying beef lynched to death in Jharkhand

On a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned that killings in the name of cow protection won't be tolerated, a man was beaten to death by a mob here today on suspicion that he was carrying beef in his vehicle.

A case has been registered on the basis of a video footage of the lynching, police said. The incident took place just a couple of days after a mob attacked and injured a man in Giridih district on suspicion that he had slaughtered a cow. SP Kishore Kaushal told a press conference that around 30 people surrounded the van bearing a West Bengal number plate in the Bazaar Tand area of Ramgarh police station.

They dragged out the driver of the vehicle, Mohd. Allimuddin, a resident of neighbouring Hazaribagh district, and thrashed him, injuring him seriously. The police on getting information rushed to the spot and took Allimuddin to a hospital where he was declared "brought dead" by doctors, a police officer said. The mob also set the vehicle on fire, he said. According to Kaushal, the case was registered on the basis of the video footage and asserted the guilty would be arrested soon. Ramgarh Deputy Commissioner Rajeswari B, who was also present in the press conference, said additional forces have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order. 

This is second such incidence of cow related violence in Jharkhand this week. A man was beaten up in Jharkhand after a dead cow was reportedly found outside his house on Tuesday. The incident took place in Beria Hatiatand village in Deori area of Giridih district, nearly 200 km from Ranchi. A mob also set the house of Usman Ansari on fire after they spotted the carcass of a cow. The victim has been injured and undergoing treatment. His condition is stable.

In a tough message against cow vigilantism and mob lynching, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said killing people on pretext of protecting cows is not acceptable and warned that no one has the right to take law into his hands.

Addressing a public meeting to mark the centenary of the Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati ashram here, Modi said indulging in violence in the name of "gau bhakti" goes fully against the ideals of the Father of the Nation. Voicing his concern on the spate of incidents of lynching and violence over cows' protection, the prime minister said nothing would will be achieved from such acts. "Today, I want to express my sadness and my pain, when I am here at the Sabarmati ashram," he said. "This is a country which has the tradition of giving food to ants, street dogs, fish, the country where Mahatma Gandhi taught us lessons of non-violence. What has happened to us?" Modi asked.

"If a patient dies due to an unsuccessful operation, relatives burn down hospitals and beat up doctors. Accident is an accident. When people die or are injured in the accidents, a group of people come together and burn vehicles," he said, pointing out the prevalent trend among the people of taking law into their hands, and the mob violence.

"Nobody would have practised cow protection and cow worship more than Mahatma Gandhi and (his follower) Vinoba Bhave. They showed us the way how to protect cow. The country will have to adopt their way," the prime minister said.