Days after ‘attack’, U.P. cattle transporter dies

 Saddam Qureshi, the sole survivor in which three cattle transporters from Uttar Pradesh were allegedly attacked by a mob in Chhattisgarh’s Arang earlier this month, succumbed to his injuries on June 18. 

On June 7, two cattle transporters, Guddu Khan (35) and Chand Miya Khan (23), were found dead under suspicious circumstances after being allegedly chased by a mob. Mr. Qureshi’s testimony was crucial to the investigation in the case in which the police have neither made any arrests nor disclosed any details about the suspects so far.   

Also read | Police question people with history of cow vigilantism in Chhattisgarh ‘lynching’ case

Kirtan Rathore, Additional Superintendent of Police, confirmed the death of Mr. Qureshi and said the victim had been shifted to the government-run DKS Super Specialty Hospital in Raipur from Shri Balaji Super Specialty Hospital, a private medical facility in Raipur, where he was on ventilator support since the incident. Based on a conversation with the doctors of the private hospital, The Hindu had earlier reported that the next “48 to 72” hours were critical to his recovery. 

Shoaib, a relative of the deceased, who has repeatedly maintained that the incident was a mob lynching and that he had heard Mr. Qureshi’s cries for help on a call made by the latter at the time of the incident, alleged that the Raipur police had so far not conducted the investigations in earnest. 

“It’s been 11 days since the incident and I have repeatedly met police officers seeking an update. But there are no arrests so far. We demand justice in the matter,” said Mr. Shoaib, Mr. Qureshi’s cousin and a common relative of him and Chand Miyan, whose phone calls with Mr. Qureshi have formed the basis of the First Information Report in the case.

Also read | SIT formed to probe cattle transporters’ death in Chhattisgarh

Not happy with probe

Asif, a younger brother of Mr. Qureshi, had also come to the mortuary where the post-mortem was conducted. He had last spoken to Mr. Qureshi a few days before the incident and the latter had assured them that he would return home in the next few days but never showed up. Like Mr. Shoaib, he also expressed displeasure with the police probe. “I have lost two brothers [referring to his cousin Chand Miyan along with Qureshi]; who is responsible? We want the perpetrators to be brought to justice and we demand compensation,” he said. 

Mr. Qureshi is survived by his parents and five siblings and was the second oldest of three brothers, said Mr. Asif, who added that their family occupation was rearing buffaloes in their native place, Saharanpur.  

A brief argument also ensued between the relatives and the police over the question of receiving the body. While Mr. Shoaib and Mr. Asif, joined by some members of a group called Raza Unity Foundation, insisted that they would not receive the body since justice was not meted out in this case, the policemen present there tried convincing them that the probe had indeed moved forward and that they should receive the body. After nearly 20 minutes the family agreed to take the body for last rites. 

The family’s version on the sequence of events differs from the police version who have so far hinted that the three either fell on a rocky patch 30 feet below the Mahanadi bridge connecting Raipur and Mahasamund. Mr. Rathore said the police had identified a few vehicles seen chasing the victims that night, but the CCTV camera footages were not very clear. Till Tuesday evening no arrests had been made.