Umar's murder: Rajasthan police note silent on mutilation of body on railway track, cow vigilantes' crime history

By Our Representative
A media note, circulated by the Superintendent of Police (SP), Alwar district, Rajasthan, on the gruesome murder of Umar, allegedly by cow vigilantes, is surprisingly silent on the most critical part of the crime: Mutilation of the body, transporting it to the railway track to another police station area, tyres being stolen from the pickup truck, and the role of cops in all this.
Umar of Ghatmika, Kaman Pahadi, Bharatpur district, was murdered on November 10, an event tried to be painted by the SP as the result an ordinary (everyday) fight between two gangs of criminals, insisting, while one consists of habitual cow smugglers, the other one has in it anti-social elements. While the note does not name them, it seeks to suggest it was a fight between gangs from Meo and Gurjar communities.
The note, as an evidence, refers to the FIR 273/17 lodged at the Govindgarh Police Station against Tahir, Javed and Umar under sections 3,5,6, 8 and 9 of the Rajasthan Bovine Act and the FIR 275/17 under section 147, 201, 302, 307 against anti-social elements. However, the note is quiet on as to where the cows are now, as they must have ended up in some cow shed or gau shala.
The note seeks to show history of cow smuggling by Tahir and Umar, though does not mention the history of criminality of Bhagwan Singh and others in the murder case, two of whom have been arrested. It states that the police investigation in the case shows that the cow smugglers were carrying six cows and bullocks for smuggling in a pickup, which had in it the accused Tahir, the deceased Umar and Javed.

The note

However, it does not say that the pickup was stopped by the arrested accused Bhagwan Singh alias Kala and Ramveer along with their four colleagues by laying out by a nail ridden board.
The note says that there are five cases against Tahir, three for cow smuggling and two relating to simple brickbats. Of the five cases, he was wanted for three and was absconding in one. As for Umar, it adds, verified records show that he too had a case of cow smuggling in 2012, for which he was wanted.
The note says that the pick up, which was transporting cows that night, had a fraudulent number RJ02SK 4565, as this series is of two wheelers and not four wheelers. Based on this, the note makes out that Tahir, Umar and Javed have committed the crime of cow smuggling, moving in a vehicle with a fake number plate, and Bhagwan Singh and others committed a crime of loot and murder.
Kavita Srivastava of the People's Union for Civil Rights (PUCL), comments, the note is a clear indication of not only "protecting the killers, the so-called cow protectors or gau rakshaks, but also their links to the Sangh Parivar (Bajrang Dal etc.). This way, there is an effort take away the heat which has been built against the Rajasthan government nationally and internationally for increasing crimes in the state due to cow vigilantism."
She adds, "By not looking at it squarely as yet another case of cow vigilantism which is targeting Muslim, by showing them as cow smugglers and criminals, the state has decided not rise to occasion and provide protection to Muslim lives which is in jeopardy. Thus the plan of providing safety to the Muslim dairy farmer is seen as a non-issue."

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