Five people were beaten up by self-proclaimed cow vigilantes on suspicion of carrying beef on Friday in Haryana's Faridabad.
The victims, who said they were carrying buffalo meat in a vehicle, were waylaid by a group of men and beaten up for allegedly carrying the prohibited meat.
"They stopped us and said you're carrying cow meat," said one of the victims, Azad, adding, that he was forced to chant 'Hanuman ki jai' and 'cow is our mother.' However, when he refused, he was allegedly roughed up by the group, who allegedly told Azad that they belonged to Bajrang Dal.
Following the assault, Azad was left unconscious and was rushed to the hospital by the police.
Just last month, the Supreme Court had asked the states for a compliance report over the incidents of cow vigilantism.
The top court's three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra and comprising of Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud said that all states are under an obligation to compensate the victims of cow vigilante violence cases. The hearing in the matter is expected later this month.
Last year, the state government enacted the Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Act- which carries imprisonment of up to 10 years for cow slaughter.
In 2016, as many as 85 cases were registered under the Punjab Prohibition of Cow Slaughter Act 1955.
(With ANI Inputs)
