- Two men were assaulted by a mob in Mehgaon, Madhya Pradesh, over alleged cow smuggling.
- One victim, identified as Junaid, died after two weeks in the ICU; the other remains critical.
- Eyewitness videos show the mob violently beating the men near a temple, raising serious concerns.
Mehgaon, a small town in Madhya Pradesh's Raisen district, is making headlines for a deeply distressing reason. Post-midnight on June 5, two young men were brutally assaulted by a mob over alleged cow smuggling, leading to the death of one and critical injuries to the other.
The men - one of them identified as Junaid - were allegedly transporting six to ten cows late at night when they were intercepted near the Mehgaon temple by individuals claiming to be part of a cow protection group. What followed was a violent mob attack.
Eyewitnesses and viral videos reveal that the mob beat the men so severely that they were barely left alive.
The victims were later shifted to Bhopal's Hamidia Hospital with the help of the police.
Both were admitted to the ICU (Intensive Care Unit), and Junaid was put on ventilator support. After battling for life for nearly two weeks, he died on the morning of June 17. The second victim remains in critical condition.
In a video that surfaced soon after the incident, a man named Dhruv Chaturvedi, who claimed to be part of a cow protection group, said, "We got information that cows were tied near the Mehgaon temple. When we chased the vehicle, we were attacked with stones. We saved the cows by risking our lives."
Another video shows a heated exchange between Chaturvedi and a police officer, Anandilal Suryavanshi.
The officer is seen reprimanding Chaturvedi for taking law into his own hands instead of informing the police. He said " What you did to your driver - that beating - was wrong. "
Junaid's father, devastated by his son's death, told NDTV, "My son was innocent. He worked as a labourer. Even if he was carrying cows, why couldn't this be investigated properly? Who gave the mob the right to kill him? What kind of country are we becoming?"
Sanchi police station in-charge Nitin Ahirwar confirmed to NDTV that, three or four of the accused have been arrested - more than 10 others are on the run. A hunt is on for them in Vidisha and surrounding areas.
A First Information Report has been filed - the charges include attempt to murder and rioting with deadly weapons.
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