Cow Vigilantism in Madhya Pradesh: 24 Men Thrashed on Khandwa Street, Forced to Chant 'Gau Mata ki Jai'

Bhopal, July 8: In a shocking incident, a group of 24 men were thrashed by cow vigilantes on Sunday in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh for allegedly transporting cattle to an animal fair in Maharashtra. Not only they were thrashed, but were forced to chant "gau mata ki jai". The video of the incident has become viral.

According to the viral video - filmed on a mobile phone - 15 of those men forced to kneel by the side of the road, with their hand tied with ropes, were forced to chant "gau mata ki jai" n full view of the public in Khandwa. In the video, it can also be seen that a man, wearing white shirt take a close-up video or photograph of each man's face, while rest of the two others stand guard over the tied-up men. Mob Lynching in Tripura: Man Beaten To Death on Suspicion of Cattle Theft in Dhalai

Reports state that all these 24 men were waylaid by a band of vigilantes, who numbered around 100 from Savalikeda village. Vigilantes claim that the tied people were transporting 20-odd cattle for slaughter. All these men were overpowered, tied up and paraded through the streets on their way to Khalwa police station - three kilometres from the village (approx.)

Here's the Video:

Though the tied men claim that the cattle belong to them and they owe it, they couldn't prove it, said district police superintendent Shivdayal Singh. He said, as quoted by PTI, "With none of the 24 men possessing valid documents to prove their claims and also transporting the cattle in vehicles in consonance with relevant guidelines, they were arrested and booked under provisions of the Madhya Pradesh Govansh Vadh Pratishedh Adhiniyam and provisions of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act."

Till the report was filed, no action has been taken against the vigilantes, while police say they are probing allegations of cruelty. All the 24 men hail from Khandwa, Sehore, Dewas and Harda districts, and include six Muslims.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 08, 2019 12:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).