Muslim man lynched by cow vigilantes in Balasore, 5 arrested
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Balasore: Cow vigilantes killed a 35-year-old Muslim man in Odisha's Balasore district on Wednesday after stopping his cattle-laden van and assaulting him over the animals' transport. Sk Makandar Mahammad died from injuries at the district hospital, while the driver survived.
The 5 am attack involved assailants Bapu, Pawan, Pintu, Nepali, and Chinu Telenga beating both men with sharp weapons, pipes, and knives. A circulating video shows attackers forcing Mahammad to chant "Jai Shri Ram." Initially, police filed an FIR under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, Orissa Cow Slaughter Act, and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, blaming rash driving that overturned the vanomitting the assault and focusing on the driver and owner.
Later that evening, a second FIR followed the victim's brother Sk Jitendar Mahammad's complaint, charging the five under Section 103(2) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for mob murder. Police seized a cow and the vehicle, and are questioning suspects to identify additional involvement.