BHOPAL: Three youths, including two men from a minority community were semi-stripped in public and thrashed by a mob in full public view for allegedly decamping with a goat stolen from a goddess temple in Neemuch district of Madhya Pradesh.
The mob not only beat up the trio heavily but also set afire the motorbike on which the trio was allegedly decamping with the stolen goat.
The incident of mob justice happened near Pipliya Rauji village, just a couple of kilometers from the Mahamaya Bhadwa Mata temple, where devotees often offer goats and fowls as an offering.
The attack on the trio took place a few hours after the Kamal Nath government in Bhopal introduced in the Vidhan Sabha, a bill proposing jail term up to five years and fine up to Rs 50,000 for those who assault or damage property of those transporting cattle with a proper official permit.
Local residents in the village alleged that in the last one month, fowls and goats offered at the goddess temple were regularly being stolen, owing to which the villagers were on the lookout for the thieves.
On Wednesday evening, the trio comprising of Waris Qureshi, Ajmeri Qureshi, Bunty alias Jeevan Bhalai were caught by villagers.
Those present on the spot filmed the incident on their cell-phones.
The police rushed to the spot and arrested the trio for goat theft and later detained five men identified from the videos posted online and booked them in relation to the mob attack.