Two days before that Murder of migrant workers In Charkhi Dadri, members of the Gau Raksha Dal, Haryana, allegedly accused of eating beef, held a meeting to discuss “closing meat shops in the village and obtaining documents of Muslims from Assam and Bengal living in the slum area”, The Indian Express has learnt.
The next day on August 26, the accused asked the Muslim youths living in the hut to leave. On August 27, Gau Raksha Dal district president and prime accused Rabindra allegedly sent fellow cowherds to “beat up the Muslims and chase them away”, claiming that “police will not take strict action against Muslims”. The charge sheet was filed by the Haryana Police late last month.
On the same day, a migrant worker from West Bengal, Sabir Malik, who worked as a ragpicker in the area, was killed by the accused in his slum in Badhra village, suspected of cooking beef.
Eight accused are named in the charge sheet. The police have attached 34 witnesses and evidence from the scene. Also, in the laboratory report attached to the charge sheet by the police, it is mentioned that the meat collected from the spot was not of cattle based on the allegations of the watchman.
According to the disclosure statement of the accused quoted by the police in the charge sheet, on August 25, the members of the Cow Protection Dal held a meeting at the Badhra office.
“We discussed closing down meat shops in villages, obtaining documents of Muslims living in makeshift huts in Badhra and Haswas Khurd in Assam and Bengal and investigating beef consumption. On August 26, along with our other associates, we threatened to leave the Muslim youth living in the hut of Haswas Khurd,” said one of the accused, Ravindra, in a revealing statement.
The accused asked Vijay, the former sarpanch of Badhra village, to join him but he refused.
On August 27, the accused Ravindra, Sanjay, Pravesh Boxer and seven or eight others went to the hut of Haswas Khurd.
“We started interrogating the residents, but seeing the tension, Vijay advised us not to supervise or molest anyone. Pravesh Boxer and Sanjay then called more youths and started beating up the residents of the hut,” Ravindra said in his revealing statement, adding that they picked up a man named Asruddin. .
Later, the police arrived, recovered the cooked meat and took the five-seven migrant workers to the Badhra police station for questioning. Ravinder says he accompanied them to the station and advised fellow cow vigilantes that “if any Muslim youth is found, take them to my farmhouse in Bhandwa and beat them up thoroughly for questioning”.
“10-12 boys beat up Sabir and Asruddin’s son in the farmhouse. Sabir, who was called to the spot on the pretext of work, fell unconscious due to his injuries and was thrown near the Bhandwa canal,’ the disclosure statement said.
“After learning that Sabir had died from my colleague’s injuries, I advised them to hide. Later, I used my ambulance (for veterinary services) to transport (my) companions,” it says.
Ravindra further states that on his way he “instructed the cow guards who remained at the scene to continue beating and driving away the Muslims”.
“I also told them that if they see any other Muslim persons, beat them severely and take them to my farm room. I further told them that the police will not take strict action against Muslims,” says his disclosure statement attached to the chargesheet.
The disclosure statement also reveals that the accused asked how residents could eat meat on Tuesday.
Asruddin, who is also a rag picker and was beaten up along with Malik, said in his police statement that two men came on a motorcycle and asked him what kind of meat he eats, to which he replied that he does not eat meat.
“Then they said, ‘He won’t agree or he will tell us. Let’s take him’. Just then my son Raqib ul came there. Those two boys threatened us and put us on a motorcycle. They took us to a room in the farm near Bhandwa village. They left me there and my son. Rakib-Ul was taken on a motorcycle. After some time 5-7 boys came and accused me of eating beef. They beat me for a long time Then 4-5 other boys came along with Sabir Malik. They beat him with sticks and punches. After that, two boys took Sabir away on a motorcycle After a while they came back and left Sabir near the canal…,” he alleged.