Raipur, Chhattisgarh – In the aftermath of a recent horrific incident, two truck drivers hailing from Uttar Pradesh fell victim to alleged lynching by individuals self-identified as “cow vigilantes.” The drivers were transporting buffaloes in the early hours of the morning near the temple town of Arang in Raipur district. Tragically, one of the victims, named Chand Miyan, aged 23, and his companion Guddu Khan, aged 35, lost their lives in the brutal attack. A third victim, identified as Saddam Qureshi, miraculously survived the ordeal, albeit severely injured and currently undergoing treatment.
The surviving victim recounted a harrowing tale of a mob consisting of around 14-15 individuals ambushing them. The assailants mercilessly attacked the trio, resulting in the deaths of Chand Miyan and Guddu Khan, whose bodies were callously tossed from a bridge onto a riverbed. To save his own life, the survivor narrates how he was compelled to leap off the bridge in a desperate bid for survival.
Reports indicate that the vigilantes targeted the truck due to suspicions of cow smuggling, initiating a chase that culminated in a violent assault on the truck drivers on a bridge over the Mahanadi River. The incident took place between 2 am and 3 am, with law enforcement arriving at the scene an hour later. Tragically, one victim had already succumbed to his injuries, while the other two were rushed to a nearby health facility, with one more fatality following later.
Raipur’s Senior Superintendent of Police Santosh Singh has confirmed the registration of an FIR in connection to the incident. Nevertheless, a senior official has stated that investigations are ongoing, with no conclusive evidence yet to categorize the incident definitively as a case of mob lynching. Autopsy reports are pending, shedding light on the severity of the injuries sustained by the victims during the attack.
Amidst the devastating aftermath, the wife of one of the deceased victims, Guddu, who is pregnant, grapples with overwhelming shock and grief. Meanwhile, in a related incident, trucks carrying animals destined for the Eid-ul-Zuha sacrifice were reportedly targeted by cow vigilantes in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, exemplifying a distressing trend of vigilantism and violence in the region. These incidents highlight the urgency of addressing communal tensions and ensuring justice for the victims of such heinous crimes.