Muslim man lynched in suspected cow vigilante attack in India

NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Police in eastern India are investigating the death of a 52-year-old Muslim cattle handler after his family alleged he was lynched by self-styled Hindu cow vigilantes while transporting a cow in West Bengal, the latest in a series of attacks linked to cow vigilante groups.

The body of Montu Mia was recovered beneath a bridge over the Khutamara River in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district on Sunday, hours after he disappeared while delivering a cow purchased at a local livestock market. Police have registered a criminal case, but no arrests had been announced at the time of reporting.

According to local media reports and the family’s complaint, Montu earned a living by escorting cattle bought at village markets to buyers’ homes. He had been hired to deliver a cow from Gosai’s Market to a nearby village after the market reopened following a two-month suspension during the state election period.

Relatives said he left the market with the animal on Saturday evening but never reached his destination. After an overnight search, local fishermen spotted his body beneath the bridge the following morning. The cow he had been transporting was reportedly found alive near the scene.

The family alleges Montu was intercepted and fatally assaulted by self-styled cow vigilantes before his body was dumped in the river. The relatives said his body bore multiple injuries, including broken teeth, and alleged that acid had been poured on parts of his face and body. 

“They killed him, poured acid on his face and body, and threw him into the river,” his father-in-law, Tariq Mia, alleged while demanding a thorough investigation and punishment for those responsible.

Montu’s wife, Aseda Khatun, said her husband had promised to return home for dinner with their seven-year-old daughter. When he failed to return, relatives searched through the night before learning that a body had been recovered from the river.

Police said a case has been registered at Sitalkuchi Police Station and an investigation is underway. Authorities have not identified any suspects or confirmed the family’s account of the circumstances leading to the killing.

The incident has also taken on a political dimension after the Communist Party of India (Marxist) declared that Montu was an active party worker. Senior party leaders later visited the bereaved family, while a separate delegation said its convoy was attacked by supporters of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as it traveled to the village.