A 55-year-old truck driver transporting animal bones to a registered factory that used them for medicinal purposes was lynched on Wednesday night in Bihar’s Saran district on the suspicion that he was carrying beef, the police said. Seven people have been arrested.
The Saran police said the incident took place late on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday when Mohammed Zahiruddin had parked his truck near Khori Pakar village after it developed some problems.
When Zahiruddin started looking for a mechanic along with his helper Khurshid Ali, some villagers gathered and started inquiring about what was being transported. With a strong, foul smell emanating from the truck, the villagers suspected that beef was being transported and started assaulting Zahiruddin, without giving him a chance to explain, the police said. Ali managed to escape.
Zahiruddin was taken to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead, with doctors suspecting internal injury to be the main cause of death. Zahiruddin was a resident of Majhwalia village in the same district.
“Zahiruddin had been carrying bones to a licenced Marhaura factory using bones for medicinal purposes. It was a usual thing,” Saran Superintendent of Police Gaurav Mangla told The Indian Express. “We promptly took action and arrested seven villagers in this connection,” he added.
This is the second mob lynching incident in Saran since March. On March 7, Naseem Quereshi, 54, a Siwan resident, was killed after he was allegedly found selling beef. Quereshi died a few hours after he was assaulted and the police arrested three people in the case.