BENGALURU: A gang of cow vigilantes allegedly lynched the driver of a vehicle transporting cattle at Sathanur near Kanakapura in Ramanagara district in the wee hours of Saturday. Police have booked Punith Kerehalli, a right-wing activist, and four others for murder. They are absconding. The body of the victim, Idrees Pasha (39), a resident of Mandya, was found a few hundred metres away from Sathanur police station.
Police said Pasha along with Irfan and Syed Zaheer was transporting 15 cattle in a vehicle when they were waylaid by the gang members in a car near Santemala Circle around 11.45 pm on Friday. Sensing danger, Pasha and Irfan escaped while Zaheer was caught and allegedly assaulted.
The accused allegedly told him that they (Muslims) should not live here and must go to Pakistan. Kerehalli allegedly demanded Rs 2 lakh and threatened to finish him off if he didn’t pay them. Though Zaheer tried to explain to the gang members that the cattle were purchased and was being taken to Tamil Nadu, they allegedly assaulted him.
The police rushed to the spot and took both parties to the station, where Kerehalli lodged a complaint accusing them of illegally transporting cattle. A counter-complaint was also filed against Kerehalli.
On Saturday morning, after the body of Pasha was found, his family members staged a protest in front of the police station demanding that the accused be arrested.
Ramanagara SP Karthik Reddy said the accused, including Kerehalli, are yet to be arrested. The police are awaiting the postmortem report to know the reasons for the death of Pasha, he added. The family members of Pasha, however, alleged that the cow vigilantes had tortured him to death as there were assault marks all over his body.
Who is Punith Kerehalli?
Punith Kerehalli is a right-wing activist, who has started an organisation Rashtra Rakshana Pade. He actively took part in the boycott of halal meat campaign some time ago. He had also organised a campaign asking Hindus not to do business with Muslims.