Four days after four men were brutally attacked by alleged cow vigilantes in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh on suspicion of transporting cow meat, police confirmed Wednesday that forensic analysis has ruled out the presence of cow meat in the vehicle.
Authorities now confirm the meat was from a buffalo, as initially stated by the police.
Inspector Dheeraj Kumar, Station House Officer of the Harduaganj police station, confirmed the findings, which were issued by a forensic science laboratory.
The assault occurred on Saturday near Alhadadpur village, where the victims — Akil (43), Arbaaj (38), Akeel (35), and Nadeem (32) — were allegedly beaten with iron rods and wooden sticks by a group of vigilantes who accused them of transporting cow meat.
The attackers reportedly torched the victims’ vehicle and stole their phones and cash.
Two FIRs have been filed in connection with the incident, and four individuals have been arrested so far. Those taken into custody are identified as Vijay Gupta (50), Bhanu Pratap (28), Luv Kush (27), and Vijay Bajrangi (23).
One of the FIRs was lodged at the Harduaganj police station based on a complaint filed by Salim Khan, the father of the victim Akeel.
The complaint names 13 individuals and lists 25 others as unidentified, making a total of 38 accused. Among those named are Gupta, Bajrangi, and Luv Kush.
According to Salim Khan, the meat had been legally purchased from the Al-Ambar meat factory. He stated that the attackers stopped the vehicle on Panaithi Road and demanded a payment of ₹50,000.
When the victims refused, they were allegedly assaulted and robbed.
This FIR invokes multiple provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including:
- Section 191(2) – Rioting
- Section 191(3) – Unlawful Assembly
- Section 190 – Assembly for Offence
- Section 109 – Attempt to Murder
- Section 308 – Extortion
- Section 310(2) – Robbery
- Section 3(5) – Joint Criminal Liability
A second FIR was lodged under the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, based on a complaint by Vijay Bajrangi.
He claimed he had received a tip-off and followed the victims’ vehicle near Alhadadpur. Bajrangi alleged that the driver attempted to run him over, and that he saw seven decapitated cows inside the vehicle.
He also claimed the victims admitted to smuggling cow meat by paying a ₹3 lakh bribe to the police.
The four injured men are currently being treated at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital in Aligarh and are reported to be in stable condition.
The incident has once again highlighted the dangers posed by self-styled cow vigilantes and the legal ambiguities surrounding meat transport in Uttar Pradesh, often resulting in violence based on unverified suspicions.
