A mentally challenged person was thrashed by a mob for allegedly stealing cows in the Dhanbad district of Jharkhand. The victim identified as Afroz was tied to a tree and assaulted by people who saw him roaming with three cows. They suspected him to be a cattle smuggler.
Afroz was later rescued by police. The preliminary investigation found Afroz is seeking mental treatment from Ranchi Institute of Neuropsychiatry and Allied Sciences (RINPAS). He could not speak in his defence as his inability to speak.
At the same time, Police also confirmed that it was not an act of cow vigilantes. East Basuria OP in-charge Premchandra Hansda was quoted by an English Daily as saying, “He is not a cattle-smuggler, neither did he intend to steal the cows. The villagers saw him with three cows and jumped to the conclusion that he was stealing them.”
Hansda further added the occurrence was triggered by a rumour. Jharkhand recently hit the headlines for a slew of incidents including the lynching of men allegedly involved in beef transporting.
