Video: Muslim man allegedly killed by the mob over cow slaughter rumours in Uttar Pradesh's Hapur; cops calls it road rage

The cow slaughtering rumour has once again taken a life of an innocent man. A Muslim man in Uttar Pradesh's Hapur was beaten to death by the mob over rumours of cow slaughter. Another man was critically injured. The incident took place on Monday in Pilakhuwa village of Hapur. The victim has been identified as 45-year-old Qasim. The injured Samayuddin, 65, is being treated at a local hospital.

The two men were brutally thrashed after an argument with some bike-borne men from the neighbouring village, the police said. But according to report in the Indian Express, the families of the victims and the two alleged attackers, who have been arrested, claimed the assault was related to cattle smuggling.

The family claimed the attack was related to cattle smuggling after a video of the aftermath of the violence went viral. In the minute-long video, Qasim is seen lying in a field, with his clothes torn. While the victim screams in pain, a voice is heard warning the attackers to back off and give him some water.

"You have hit him, assaulted him, enough is enough... please understand there are consequences," the man is heard saying. Another voice cuts him off and says, "Had we not reached within two minutes, the cow would have been slaughtered." A third man is heard saying, "He is a butcher... someone asks him why he was trying to slaughter a calf?"

A police report or FIR filed by Samayuddin's family does not mention cow slaughter, police said. "Two people were passing through the Bajheda village on a motorcycle. They fought with some locals over the right of way. After that, they were assaulted and one person died. The FIR filed by the family says the motorcycle of the two men collided with another one and that led to an argument," said Pawan Kumar, a senior police officer.

"There are rumours of cow slaughter... we are investigating that angle too", said Sankalp Sharma, Hapur's senior-most police officer. 

Also read: BJP-PDP alliance ends: 'Operations will continue, It will be much easier to work' under Governor rule,' says J&K top cop