Patna,(BiharTimes): Though chief minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday’s national executive meeting of JD (U) in Patna took a dig at those criticising him on secularism the state police are yet to arrest the cow vigilantes who attacked some Muslims on the alleged charge of stealing a calf and eating the beef.
West Champaran Police lodged an FIR at Chanpatia police station against nine accused and 50 others for Thursday’s attack on six families in Dumra village on the suspicion that they had eaten beef.
As reported VHP supporters thrashed six men and held one person captive around 9 AMon Thursday. The mob had first barged into the house of Shahabuddin after Rajdev Sah, a resident, lodged an FIR alleging that a calf had gone missing and the villagers suspected it had been killed for meat. They also attacked the home of Quddus Qureshi, husband of local mukhiya of Jaita panchayat, Rukhsana Khatoon.
Though the attackers have not been arrested the victims, some of them injured, were taken into custody. Later in the night, a complaint was lodged against them and sent to jail.
However, police started launching raids to arrest the attackers only after the media raised the issue.
This was the second incident of its kind after Nitish Kumar replaced RJD with BJP as its partner on July 27 last.
Earlier, Bihar was largely free from such vigilantism.
“This clearly shows that the ‘change’ of regime has emboldened the ‘gau-rakshak’,” said a political observer.
