Local politician among 22 arrested after Muslim man lynched in India following row over goat

Argument breaks out after goat belonging to Muslim man barges into Hindu neighbour’s house

A member of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the northern state of Uttar Pradesh has been booked for allegedly beating a Muslim man to death after his goat accidentally strayed into a Hindu neighbour’s house.

On Wednesday police in Uttar Pradesh’s Bhadohi said that an FIR [First Information Report, generally the first step in any police probe in the country] has been registered against local municipal chairman from the BJP Ashok Kumar Jaiswal and 21 others for the incident that took place on the previous night.

Seven people have been detained in connection with the incident and additional security has been deployed in the area to prevent any escalation, reported Press Trust of India.

Rajesh Bharti, Bhadohi’s assistant superintendent of police, said in a statement that an argument broke out after a goat belonging to a man named Mustqueem allegedly barged into his neighbour Sandeep’s house. Both men were identified only by their first names.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Mustqueem’s son Aftab Alam, who was also injured in the attack, said: “On Tuesday morning, one of our goats strayed near Jaiswal’s home. He started abusing us but the matter was resolved when locals intervened.”

“Around 10 pm the same night, while the family was sleeping, a group of 10-15 men led by Mr Jaiswal entered my house and started beating up everyone including my father.

“After my father fell unconscious, the accused left the place. We rushed my father to hospital but he was declared dead,” he added.

The next morning Aftab’s mother Momina Begum filed a complaint at the local police station.

The accused have been booked under various sections of Indian law, including rioting, house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint, causing death by negligence, and voluntarily causing hurt.

Bhadohi police chief Anil Kumar said the police were waiting for the autopsy report before reaching any conclusion regarding the incident.