Cow vigilantes lynch migrant worker in Haryana, 5 held

Chandigarh: Five people, who are part of a cow vigilante group, have been arrested for allegedly beating a migrant worker from West Bengal to death in Haryana's Charkhi Dadri district over suspicion that he had eaten beef, police said on Saturday.

According to a senior police officer, Sabir Malik was killed on August 27.

Suspecting that the victim had eaten beef, the accused -- Abhishek, Mohit, Ravinder, Kamaljit and Sahil -- called Malik at a shop under the pretense of selling empty plastic bottles and then beat him, the officer said.

He added that after some people intervened, the accused took Malik to another location and beat him again, leading to his death. Malik lived in a shanty near Bandhra village in Charkhi Dadri district and collected waste and rag for a living, the police said.

All the five accused have been arrested, they said, adding that two juveniles have also been apprehended in the matter.

A case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered against the accused, the police said.