Two people have succumbed to their injuries in the Coochbehar district of West Bengal after they were lynched by a mob of people on the suspicion of cattle smuggling. The twp people lynched were identified as Bablu Milan and Prakash Das.
The alleged lynching reported took place in Putimari Fuleswari village in Coochbehar.
As per reports, two locals, Bablu Milan and Prakash Das were seen by other locals carrying cattle in their truck. They were then stopped and questioned by the locals. When the locals were not fully convinced with their answers, they were beaten up by the people, causing their death.
Read: Cattle smuggling menace becoming a threat to life and livelihood of small farmers across India
Police from Kotwali police station rushed to the spot and rescued Bablu and Prakash. They were soon taken to a hospital but due to their serious condition, they succumbed to their injuries.
The problem of cattle theft has been rampant in India, in fact, most of the lynching cases that come to light have been a result of cattle smuggling and not religious hate as peddled by the media.
When Pehlu Khan was lynched, the media went into a frenzy branding it as anti-Muslim hate, however, it was the result of cattle-smuggling. Alwar, where Pehlu Khan was lynched has remained a hotbed of cattle smuggling till date.
Read: Court allows Rajasthan police to reopen cow smuggling case against Pehlu Khan’s sons
The border districts of Alwar and Bharatpur together account for a third of all cattle smuggling cases recorded in Rajasthan. An alleged nexus between smugglers and some corrupt officials in police have helped the illegal trade flourish in the state.
A chunk of the cattle smuggled in West Bengal often goes across the border to Bangladesh. However, there is good news on that front.
Read: Bangladesh says cattle smuggling from India reduced by 96% in the last few years
Cattle smuggling has been a lucrative form of illegal trade along the India-Bangladesh border and becomes particularly prolific as the festival of Eid comes closer. However, there has been a sharp fall in the number of cattle illegally smuggled to Bangladesh from India.
Data revealed last month at an inter-ministerial meeting in Bangladesh chaired by minister Ashraf Ali Khan says that the cattle smuggling along the 4096-km India-Bangladesh border has come down by over 96 per cent.
Due to the persistent efforts of the BSF along the border, and due to the self-sufficiency in meat production attained by Bangladesh, the cattle imports and the illegal entry of sacrificial animals from neighbouring India and Myanmar have dropped considerably, confirmed officials in Bangladesh.
