It took police more than three hours to take the victim to a nearby hospital, where he later died, opting instead to take his two cows to a shelter first, some 17km away.
“We found that there was an error in the judgment of the police officer, who felt that the condition of the victim was good and that he was normal,” Rajasthan state’s top police official N Ravindra Kumar Reddy said.
“He gave him water. He gave him tea. Washed him off all the black, sticky mud. He then took the bovines to the shelter.
“It took the officer about 40 minutes to drop the cows to the shelter. That was the time he should have used for taking the victim to the hospital. For that error of judgment, we have placed him under suspension,” Reddy said.
Suspected cow vigilantes in Alwar district, about 160km from state capital Jaipur, on Saturday attacked 28-year-old Rakbar Khan transporting two cows.
The attack highlights growing influence of pro-Hindu fringe groups after a widely reported incident 15 months ago.
The latest incident triggered an uproar in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, yesterday with several opposition parties demanding strict action against vigilante lynchings.
“We’ve taken note of lynchings with utmost seriousness,” Home Minister Rajnath Singh told lawmakers, adding, New Delhi would soon finalise an action plan, including formulating a new law to deal with lynchings.
Many Hindus regard the cow as sacred, but the Muslim minority engages in the trade of cattle for slaughter and consumption, chiefly of buffalo meat, as well as dairy purposes.
A police investigation into the deadly attack is looking into allegations whether the Rajasthan police had also beaten Khan and delayed taking him to hospital, Alwar’s superintendent of police Rajendra Singh said.
“If there is any kind of lapse from the part of the police, we will take necessary legal action,” Singh said.
Police arrested three people in connection with the incident and are looking for a few more, Reddy said.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Labour Minister Jaswant Singh asked Muslims and to “stop consuming beef’ and “keep away from cow smugglers to respect the Hindus.”
“These incidents (of violence) are almost a daily occurrence,” he said, adding that since the “root cause” is cow smuggling, “the Muslims should avoid eating beef and not support cow smugglers.”
lA 25-year-old Muslim man was allegedly beaten up by a group of people at a Ghaziabad court where he had gone to marry a Hindu woman, police said yesterday.
Sahil, who works at a Noida firm, went to the court to register his marriage with Preeti Singh on Monday afternoon when the crowd attacked them, Sanjay Panday, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Sihani Gate police station, said.
The police at the court saved the man from the attackers.
“We have registered an FIR against two men and several unknown persons. No arrest has been made so far,” Panday said.
Sahil, who hails from Bhopal, sustained minor injuries while the woman, from Bijnore in Uttar Pradesh, escaped unhurt.