Bhiwani: India anger over charred bodies linked to cow vigilantes
The discovery of two charred bodies in a burnt vehicle in India’s Haryana state has led to anger and questions over police handling of the case. Police say the bodies belonged to two Muslim men from neighbouring Rajasthan state who had been reported missing. Their relatives say they were killed by right-wing Hindus who reports say accused them of cow-smuggling. Leaders of the Bajrang Dal group have denied the claims as have police, who say they’re investigating the killings. Police in Haryana said last week they began investigating after locals found the vehicle and its two bodies in the village of Barwas in the state’s Bhiwani district.
Initially, police didn’t confirm the identity of the victims, but said that the burnt vehicle was a Mahindra Bolero, the SUV in which the two men – later named as Junaid and Nasir – had been travelling before they were reported missing in Rajasthan. A senior Rajasthan police official then confirmed the bodies were of Junaid and Nasir. Their relatives also identified them. Why the two men were travelling remains unclear. A family member told police they left their houses early on Wednesday morning in the vehicle for some “personal work”.(BBC)…[+]