Arjun Lal Yadav, the Hindu among the six men who were assaulted by cow vigilantes on April 1 in Alwar, has narrated his ordeal to The Indian Express. "I was at the steering wheel, they gave me four-five slaps and let me off and then went for the Muslims," he told the newspaper.
Recalling the episode, Yadav told the newspaper that three men on two-three motorcycles stopped them. "They didn't ask us if we had any permits but just looked at the cows we had," he said.
On April 1, six men, five Muslims and one Hindu, were set upon by cow vigilantes when they were returning to their village in Haryana after attending a cattle fair in Rajasthan. The cow vigilantes believed them to illegally smuggling cows, when, in fact, they were dairy farmers.
Pehlu Khan, who was traveling with his two sons, died of injuries, earlier this month.
Yadav, however, denied that the cow vigilantes asked him if he was Hindu and then let him go. Yadav told the newspaper that he just ran. "I opened the door and ran away. It must have been after 6 pm. I kept running for five-six km till I reached a dhaba," he said.
Two Muslim men, Azamt and Irshad Khan, who were injured in the attack, have claimed that the attackers had asked their names and let Arjun go because he was Hindu. "Some members of the mob asked him his name and set him free," Irshad Khan told Scroll, last week. Azmat toldThe Indian Express that the "attackers asked our names and let our driver Arjun go."
Five people have been reportedly arrested for the assault, so far.
In Rajasthan, the slaughter of bovine animals is punishable with imprisonment for a minimum of one year and a maximum of ten years. To possess, sell or transport any beef or beef products in the state is punishable with a minimum of six months in prison and a maximum of five years.
Also on HuffPost India:
