ALWAR, July 23: One of the policemen accused of taking three hours to take a critically wounded mob attack victim to hospital in Rajasthan's Alwar on Friday admitted today to the inexplicable delay and said, "I made a mistake".

Assistant sub-inspector Mohan Singh has been suspended and two constable have been shifted to Police Lines as investigation into the matter pointed to lapses on part of the police.

Rakbar Khan and his friend Aslam were attacked late at night when they were walking with two cows they were taking home. A mob of villagers accused them of cow smuggling and started hitting them with sticks and stones.

The police arrived a little before 1 am. When Rakbar, 28, was taken to hospital, it was 4 am. He was declared dead on arrival.

"Yes I agree it was my fault. Now punish me. Do what you want with me. I made a mistake," Mohan Singh is heard saying on a video taken by a cop that later went viral.

The police said its local team reached Rakbar at least 20 minutes before what was reported previously.

Before making it to the hospital with a wounded and bleeding Rakbar, the policemen allegedly arranged to transport his cows to a shelter, gave him a wash to "clean the mud" off him, and also took a tea and snacks break.

Alwar mob lynching: Three people have been arrested from Alwar's Lallawandi village.

A CCTV clip shows an empty truck followed by a police jeep, driving probably towards the police station at 3:47 am.

Rakbar may have been in that police vehicle. He would be declared dead on arrival 13 minutes later.

A woman witness, Maya, has told NDTV that the police were "beating the man in the vehicle and abusing him".

"They (the mob) didn't leave any part of the body that wasn't broken. His neck was also broken so how could he have recorded his statement?" said Rakbar's older brother Ilyas.

"They tried to catch me and Rakbar. They started hitting Rakbar with sticks. I got away but I saw them and heard them hitting Rakbar," Aslam has said in his written statement to the police, known as "parcha bayaan". Aslam, who escaped the attack, is a key witness in the case.

Aslam says he had heard people in the mob saying "you can't do anything to us, we are the local MLA's men" and "set him on fire". He has also named the attackers. "They were calling each other Suresh, Vijay, Paramjeet, Naresh and Dharmendra". Three of them have been arrested.

Speaking to NDTV on Saturday, Aslam had said: "I could not tell who the attackers were."

Amid outrage over mob killings in the country, the centre today said a group of ministers led by Home Minister Rajnath Singh would study the recommendations of a high-level panel to discuss ways to stop the attacks and then submit a report to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Courtesy: www.ndtv.com

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Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has issued directions to municipal corporations across the state to regulate and prohibit feeding pigeons in public places, citing serious public health concerns.

Deputy Secretary to Government V Lakshmikanth has written to the Urban Development Department requesting it to issue directions to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and all municipal corporations to take immediate steps to implement the measures.

In an official note dated December 16 issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department and released to the media on Wednesday, the department said uncontrolled feeding of pigeons in public places has resulted in large congregations of birds, excessive droppings and serious health concerns, particularly respiratory illnesses linked to prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other lung diseases.

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"The commissioner, the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the Commissioners and chief officers of other municipal corporations shall take necessary action to mitigate the causes of dangerous disease spread by pigeon and enforce specified guidelines in their respective jurisdiction," the note said.

According to the department, these include a prohibition on feeding pigeons or causing pigeons to be fed in areas where it may cause nuisance or pose a health hazard to the public. Pigeon feeding shall be permitted only in designated areas in a controlled manner, subject to certain conditions.

"The designated areas may be selected in consultation with stakeholders. The responsibility for upkeep of the designated areas and compliance to the directions shall be taken up by some charitable organisation or an NGO. The feeding in designated areas shall be permitted only for some limited hours in the day," it said.

The note further stated that authorised officers of local authorities shall issue on-the-spot warnings and may impose fines for violation of the order, or lodge complaints to prosecute offenders under Sections 271 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 272 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

It also directed local authorities to conduct public awareness campaigns, including the display of signboards, banners and digital messages, explaining the health hazards associated with pigeon droppings and feathers, the content of the regulatory directions and penalties for violations, and alternative humane methods of bird conservation that do not endanger public health.