Woman dies of panic attack during beef raid in India

Muslim woman’s family says panic attack led to death but police blame asthma

A 55-year-old woman died, reportedly of a panic attack, after police raided her home in Bijnor in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh to see if she was storing beef, which, it turned out, she wasn’t.

Uttar Pradesh enforces strict laws against cow slaughter, with violations punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to Rs500,000 (£4,500). The state’s anti-cow slaughter law not only bans the animal’s killing, but even the sale and transport of beef.

Cow is considered sacred and worshipped by Hindus, the vast majority of India’s population.

Police reportedly sent four constables to Razia’s house in Khatai village of Bijnor after an informer reportedly said she was keeping beef. Police did not find any beef, however.

The family of Razia, identified by only her first name, alleged that she was scared when policemen stormed their home.

Police, however, claimed that she died of an asthma attack and that her death was unrelated to the raid for beef.

“Razia was an asthma patient and was getting treatment for the same for the last few years,” Jai Bhagwan Singh, a local police officer, claimed.

Bijnor’s police superintendent, Abhishek Jha, told The Indian Express an inquiry had been ordered “and the role of the police informer will also be probed”.

In the past, members of the Muslim minority have been lynched by Hindu mobs based solely on suspicion of cow slaughter.

A demonstration in support of a cow slaughter ban in the southern state of Karnataka in 2010 (Getty)

Razia’s son, identified as Nasim in the media, alleged that his mother died of a panic attack as the policemen misbehaved with the women in their home.

“They ransacked the house while we pleaded that we had not stored anything the government banned. My mother had a panic attack due to the police’s behaviour. We rushed her to the local clinic, where the doctor pronounced her dead,” he said.

Political leaders, including local legislator Manoj Kumar Paras, demanded action against local police.

A member of the Bharatiya Gau Kranti Manch group takes a selfie with a cow during a demonstration against the slaughter of cows and in favour of honouring them in Delhi in February 2016 (AFP via Getty)

In the neighbouring state of Madhya Pradesh, authorities bulldozed the homes of 11 people in June after allegedly finding beef in their refrigerators and cows in their backyards. Police, however, claimed that the homes were demolished for being illegally built, without providing any evidence.

Several Indian states have enacted laws against cow slaughter which critics have said disproportionately target Muslims, who have been victims of state and mob violence and property destruction.

Last year, four members of the right-wing group All India Hindu Mahasabha were arrested in Uttar Pradesh for allegedly slaughtering cows to falsely implicate Muslim men. The arrests were made after police uncovered the group’s involvement in filing a false complaint against four Muslim men for alleged cow slaughter.