A 40-year-old man was allegedly lynched by five people in Aagthala village of Banaskantha district on Thursday morning around 5.30 am. The violence was reportedly due to an ongoing dispute over the transportation of buffaloes.
Hussain Khan Baloch, a close friend of the deceased, Mishrikhan Baloch, and the complainant in the case, told the police that they had a previous fight with the same perpetrators in July 2023, when Hussain was attacked for ferrying buffaloes.
The accused have been identified as Akherajsinh Vaghela, Nikulsinh and Jagatsinh from Vatam Joona village, Pravinsinh from Chibhda, and Hamir Thakor from Deodar. All the villages are located in Deodar taluka of Banaskantha.
Hussain, Mishrikhan and Sherkhan Baloch were on their way to the animal market in Deesa with two buffaloes in their pickup van on Thursday morning when the incident occurred.
On the way from Lakhani to Deesa, they saw a stationary car parked on the road near a canal in Aagthala. They tried to overtake the vehicle but one of the van’s tyres got punctured.
Hussain noticed an SUV approaching from behind, carrying Akheraj and the other accused. Akheraj reportedly abused Hussain, threatening to kill him for filing police complaints against him in the past. Fearing for his life, Hussain accelerated the van, causing the punctured tyre to burst and forcing him to halt the vehicle.
Brutal assault
Hussain fled the scene and hid behind bushes. While Mishrikhan was trying to get out of the van, Akheraj and his accomplices attacked him. The assailants struck Mishrikhan with iron rods, pipes, machetes and the handle of a jack, inflicting severe injuries, according to police sources.
Hussain allegedly witnessed all this. The attackers fled the scene leaving Mishrikhan wounded. The shocking video footage of the crime scene, showing Mishrikhan’s body in the pickup van, went viral. The person recording the video alleged that “gau rakshaks” were responsible for the brutal act and demanded justice for the victim.
After Mishrikhan succumbed to his injuries, Hussain rushed to the Aagthala police station to lodge a complaint. The accused have been booked for murder, wrongful restraint, rioting, rioting with deadly weapons, issuing death threats, and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code.
According to police sources, the incident is not a typical case of mob lynching but rather a result of a long-standing dispute between the accused and the victims.
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