Two men fatally attacked by cow vigilantes on suspicion of cow smuggling in lemon transport truck
Sonu Banseeram and Sundar Singh sustain serious injuries
New Delhi: A group of around 20 cow vigilantes brutally assaulted a driver and his companion in Sadulpur, Rajasthan’s Churu District, late on Sunday night. The victims were transporting lemons from Jaipur to Punjab when they were intercepted by vigilantes on suspicion of cattle smuggling.
The victims, identified as 29-year-old Sonu Banshiram and 35-year-old Sundar Singh from Fatehabad, Haryana, were attacked near a toll booth in Laseri village. A video of the incident shows the mob armed with sticks thrashing the victims as they lay on the ground, hitting them in the face with shoes and kicking their heads. After the assault, a man from the mob demanded the van's rear be opened to check its contents.
Rajgarh Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Prashant Kiran informed that the traders had stopped their truck on National Highway 52 due to rain. A tip-off to a cow vigilante group led to about 20 activists chasing the truck, believing it was being used to transport cows. Mistaking the vigilantes' intentions as a robbery attempt, the traders sped away.
The vigilantes caught up with the truck at a toll plaza in Lasedi village, dragged the men out, and began thrashing them with sticks. After the assault, one vigilante opened the truck and found lemons instead of cattle. Realizing their mistake, the group fled the scene.
The victims were initially taken to a local hospital in Churu and later referred to a private hospital in Haryana for better treatment. Sonu Banshiram sustained multiple fractures in both legs, while Sundar Singh suffered injuries to his arms and head.
The victims stated they were transporting lemons to Bathinda, Punjab when a group of people on motorbikes and a jeep began chasing their van. Upon reaching the toll booth, the vigilantes started hitting the van with sticks, pulled the men out, and assaulted them despite their explanations. The victims reported hearing the names Sonu, Sonia, Varun, and Dinesh during the attack. The vigilantes also snatched their mobile phones.
DSP Kiran stated that the police learned of the incident through a video clip that surfaced on social media on Sunday. A case for attempted murder was registered following the victims' statements.
"We have detained seven people since Monday," DSP Kiran said, adding that another three to four individuals are under scrutiny for their involvement in the brutal attack. The police have assured strict action against all those responsible.
Last month, three Muslim men were lynched in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur district while transporting buffaloes.
Rajasthan: Cow vigilantes brutally thrashed Sonu Bishnoi and Sundar Bishnoi from Haryana over false allegations of transporting cattle, while in reality, the pickup truck was loaded with lemons. pic.twitter.com/5MdDyy7ujJ
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Kejriwal resorting to 'vendetta politics', says BJP after MP Sandeep Pathak booked
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Saturday accused Aam Aadmi Party's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal of vendetta politics after Punjab Police booked Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak, who recently defected to the BJP.
In an X post, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla claimed that Kejriwal is misusing the Punjab Police to settle political scores, and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has become a party to it.
"Two FIRs have been filed against Sandeep Pathak, who until recently was in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a Rajya Sabha MP and general secretary (organisation). What is baffling is the shameless, brazen vendetta politics being pursued by Arvind Kejriwal, with Bhagwant Mann complicit in it," Poonawalla said.
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"It is clear this has been done out of vendetta politics by Kejriwal, who is extremely vengeful and vindictive, and misuses the Punjab Police to pursue such political vendetta," he alleged.
Questioning the timing of the FIRs, Poonawalla said, "If these cases existed from the beginning, why were FIRs not filed earlier? If he was corrupt, why was he kept in the party for so long, especially when he was the general secretary (organisation)? Has any new material surfaced in the last few days, or has the alleged corruption occurred only now?"
He alleged that Kejriwal has an "old habit" of targeting political opponents and dissenters.
"We have seen how he has used the police against rivals, including Congress leaders. This is his old habit," Poonawalla said, referring to the withdrawal of Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh's security.
Poonawalla claimed that several leaders who had left AAP over the years, including Yogendra Yadav, Mayank Gandhi, Ashish Khetan, Ashutosh and Alka Lamba, were "hounded".
He accused the party of failing to introspect.
"Instead of introspecting on how they have changed -- from Anna to Lalu, from Lokpal to corruption -- they are indulging in vendetta politics, trying to victimise people using the strong arm of the law. This reflects an Emergency-like mindset and a dictatorial, Hitlerian mindset," he said.
According to sources, two FIRs have been lodged against Pathak under non-bailable sections.
No further details about the FIRs have been disclosed yet.
On April 24, the AAP suffered a jolt when seven of its 10 Rajya Sabha MPs quit, alleging that Arvind Kejriwal's party has strayed from its principles, values and core morals.
Of the seven MPs -- who were Pathak, Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikramjit Sahney and Swati Maliwal -- six were from Punjab.
Later, Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan officially accepted their merger with the BJP, reducing AAP's strength in the Upper House to three.
