Bihar: Seven Arrested for Lynching a Muslim Driver on Suspicion of Transporting Beef

Patna: Seven people were arrested by police in a lynching case of a Muslim truck driver, who was allegedly beaten to death by a mob on suspicion of transporting beef in Bihar's Saran district. 

This is the second hate crime incident in the district this year, a district police official said on Friday.

According to police officials in Saran, about 80 km from Patna, the truck driver was caught by a local mob on suspicion of carrying beef when he was trying to repair his vehicle that developed some technical problem at Bangra village under Jalalpur police station. He was beaten so much that he fell unconscious and died on the way to the hospital on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.

The victim has been identified as Mohammad Jahiruddin, in his early 50s, a resident of Majhwalia village. The helper of the vehicle managed to flee from the site when the mob started thrashing the driver.

"Some local youths sitting nearby questioned him about a foul smell emanating from the locked container and suspected that driver was carrying beef. After that, when they threatened him, he opened the container and informed them that it was not beef but the bones of animals he was transporting to a bone dust factory in the district. But local mob blamed him for making beef trade and attacked him mercilessly till he lost consciousness," local police officials said.

Ironically, a preliminary investigation by local police revealed that Jahiruddin was not transporting beef but animal bones in his vehicle. 

Police have arrested seven people in connection with this mob lynching after a written complaint case was lodged against six named accused and 25 unidentified accused by the family of the victim, Mihir Kumar, a police official of Jalalpur Police Station told NewsClick.

Saran Superintendent of Police Gaurav Mangla said the bone samples had been sent to a forensic laboratory for testing, and further probe is underway into the case.

Mangla said as this sensitive incident took place hours ahead of Eid Ul Adha, security was tightened, and patrolling was intensified in the area to maintain peace given the likely tension.

In March 2023, a man was allegedly beaten to death by a mob on suspicion of carrying beef in Saran. Police have arrested three people in the case.

Early this year, Saran witnessed caste tensions (between upper caste Rajput and OBC Yadavs) after two youths succumbed to injuries after being beaten allegedly by supporters of the husband of a local mukhiya.

In 2019, three men were allegedly beaten to death and one critically injured by villagers over suspicion of cattle theft in Saran.