Death of cow vigilante Farsa Wale Baba sparks violent protests in Uttar Pradesh
Protesters on Saturday blocked the Delhi-Agra Highway in western Uttar Pradesh's Mathura district following the death of a cow vigilante.
According to Indian media reports, Chandrashekhar — a self-styled spiritual guru known as "Farsa Wale Baba" and a cow vigilante — had stopped a vehicle in the early hours of Saturday on suspicion of cows being transported, when another truck hit him, killing him on the spot.
Rumors soon spread that Chandrashekhar had been deliberately killed by "cattle smugglers."
Within hours,a large crowd of his supporters, mostly cow vigilantes, gathered and blocked the road, leading to a traffic snarl.
The situation turned violent with the mob pelting stones, injuring policemen, and vandalizing police vehicles.
Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd, reports said.
Authorities said that several people have been detained and those involved in the violence are being identified.
The Mathura police released a statement saying that Chandrashekhar's death was a road accident and has no connection to cattle smuggling.
"Due to dense fog, a truck approaching from behind collided with them, resulting in his unfortunate death," the police said.
The police statement added that the truck stopped by Chandrashekhar was found to contain grocery items, while the truck that came from behind was loaded with wires.
Slaughtering of cows, which are considered sacred to Hindus, is illegal in a number of states in India.
The so-called "Cow vigilantes" are Hindu men, who take it upon themselves to protect cows from slaughter and illegal transport.
India has seen a spate of vigilante killings with hard-line Hindu groups often targeting Dalit and Muslim individuals accused of slaughtering cattle or consuming beef.
