Two Gond men lynched in Madhya Pradesh for slaughtering a cow
The incident occurred in Seoni, a district where the Gonds are the majority. According to a third man who survived the attack, ultranationalists incited the mob against them. Police have detained six people. Local tribal residents demand that the homes of the attackers be razed to the ground the way the Hindu nationalist dominated state government did with Muslims.
Bhopal (AsiaNews) – A mob of about 20 people lynched two ethnic Gond men on suspicion of slaughtering a cow, in Seoni, a district in the state of Madhya Pradesh where ethnic Gonds are the largest group.
The victims are Sampat Batti, a resident of the city of Sagar, and Simaria, who lived in Dhansa, both in their fifties. A third man, Brajesh Batti, was also wounded. He said that attackers belonged to the Bajrang Dal, a Hindu nationalist group.
The attack took place at night and the victims were allegedly beaten with sticks. Local police arrested six people in connection with the incident, while another dozen have not been identified.
In a statement, police said that “The two men died while being taken to hospital and the other sustained minor injuries”. Around 12 kilos of meat were recovered from the victims’ home.
The lynching sparked a protest in the district. Tribal protesters blocked a local highway, demanding that the Bajrang Dal be banned and the attackers’ homes be razed to the ground in accordance with a measure adopted by Madhya Pradesh’s ruling Hindu nationalists following riots in Khargone district.
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