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Pehlu Khan's Lynching Accused, Vipin Yadav, Compared To Bhagat Singh For Assault On The Muslim Dairy Farmer

Self-styled god-woman showers profuse praise on him for assault on dairy farmer.
Anguri Begum, mother of Pehlu Khan, sitting on Dharna demanding justice for Alwar victim, at Jantar Mantar on April 19, 2017 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
Anguri Begum, mother of Pehlu Khan, sitting on Dharna demanding justice for Alwar victim, at Jantar Mantar on April 19, 2017 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

Vipin Yadav, one of the six people named in an FIR lodged after the lynching death of a Muslim man who was returning home with trucks loaded with cows from a cattle fair in Rajasthan, has been compared with freedom fighter Bhagat Singh by a self-styled god-woman and a prolific campaigner for the rightwing's aggressive cow protection programme.

Three persons, including Yadav, have been arrested. The Alwar police said Vipin led the charge against cow transporters who tried to show them the receipts of purchase from the fair, but were nevertheless thrashed by the extra-judicial group who call themselves 'gau rakshaks'.

The government had officially failed to condole the death of Pehlu Khan, who was beaten to death by the so called cow protectors. The victims have been accused of illegally transporting 36 animals in six pick-up vans. They were on their way to Haryana from Jaipur when the vigilantes stopped two of the vehicles in Behror on Jaipur-Delhi national highway and thrashed five persons, according to PTI.

On Wednesday, as 19-year-old Vipin was appearing for his annual examination at his college in judicial custody, Sadhvi Kamal Didi met him and showered him with praise for the assault on the Muslim dairy farmer, reported the Indian Express.

"Poora Bharat tere saath mein hai, aur hum apne desh mein aise kaam nahi karenge toh kahan karenge. Koi bhi toh na jhuke, aur na he tujhe kisi prakar ki chinta karne ki avashakta hai. (The entire country is with you, and if we won't do these things in our own country then where else will we? You shouldn't give in or worry about anything)," she was quoted as saying by the Express.

The sadhvi then compared him to Bhagat Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad, and Sukhdev — icons of the Indian freedom movement.

"Ye Bhagat Singh, (Chandra Shekhar) Azad, Sukhdev, ye hain, ye log," she said.

Khan, a 55-year-old dairy farmer from Rajasthan, wanted to get a milch buffalo from the cattle fair on 1 April. However, he got a milch cow instead, a decision that cost him his life. His son Irshad recalled how the 'gau rakshaks' dragged them out of their vehicles, beat them unconscious with belts and sticks, and accused them of smuggling cattle despite repeatedly being told that they bought the cows and calves at a cattle fair and had receipts to show.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.