HAPUR/UTTAR PRADESH: The Uttar Pradesh police have apologised after the photograph of a man beaten by a mob, allegedly over cow slaughter rumours in Hapur district, being dragged by locals in the presence of cops, went viral on the social media. Three policemen present at the spot have now been taken off duty.
Two men --- 45-year-old Qasim and Samayuddin, 65 --- were assaulted by a mob on Wednesday, about 70 kilometres from Delhi. While Qasim, who was dragged by locals, died later in hospital, the other person has been seriously injured.
Police say the photograph was taken a few minutes after they arrived and tried to take the victims of vigilante justice to hospital.
"Because of non-availability of an ambulance at that moment, the victim was carried in the manner. Admittedly, the policemen should have been more sensitive in their conduct" , said a statement from the Director General of Police (Headquarters).
A one-minute video that emerged yesterday showed Qasim lying in a field, his clothes almost torn off. He can be heard writhing in pain. A voice off camera warns the attackers, also off camera, to back off and give some water to him. "You have hit him, assaulted him, enough is enough. Please understand. There are consequences", says the voice.
UP police statement on man beaten by a mob in Hapur being dragged in the presence of cops
However, another voice cuts him off, saying "if we had not reached within two minutes, then the cow would have been slaughtered". Another voice in the video can be heard, saying "He is a butcher , someone ask him why he was trying to slaughter a calf ". As Qasim lay on the ground, the crowd refuses to offer him water.
The Hapur police claim the two people were assaulted after a scuffle with some bike-borne men from the neighbouring village. Police have registered a murder case and arrested two people. "There are some rumours of a cow slaughter angle to this, we are investigating that too", said Sankalp Sharma, Hapur's senior-most police officer.