Muslim man beaten up by cow vigilantes for ‘carrying beef’ in Maharashtra is a BJP leader

Nagpur: When self-styled cow protectors thrashed a Muslim man on allegations of possessing beef at Jalalkheda town in Maharashtra on Wednesday afternoon, they were probably unaware that their target was affiliated to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The man – 36-year-old Katol resident Salim Ismail Shah – was hospitalised after the incident. Nagpur police have arrested four men for the assault, the latest in a series of violent incidents involving cow vigilante groups.

According to reports, the incident occurred while the victim was returning from Amner village in Amravati district to Katol by two-wheeler after purchasing meat for a function. Somewhere along the way, the cow protection activists waylaid Shah and began beating him up for allegedly transporting beef.

Shah said he kept trying to convince his attackers that the meat in his possession was mutton and not beef, but they wouldn’t listen to him. He received no assistance from the passersby, though a few did take videos of the incident on their cellphone cameras. Finally, one of the accused threw Shah’s vehicle at him – knocking him out.