The death of a 24-year-old Muslim man, suspected of illegal cow slaughter, from drowning in a pond in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, has ignited a debate on social media. Users have criticised the incident, with some stating, “After bulldozers, this is the new norm.”
According to a report by the Times of India, Wasim Qureshi Monu, a resident of Sohalpur Gada village in Haridwar district, allegedly drowned in a pond while attempting to evade arrest by a cattle protection squad (CPS) on Saturday night.
His body was recovered on Sunday morning. The incident sparked outrage among villagers, who tried to prevent the police from taking the body for a postmortem. The angry villagers accused the CPS team of killing the young man by throwing him into the pond.
The incident, which has fueled a debate on the social media platform X, occurred just hours after an accused in the August 22 gang rape of a minor in Assam’s Nagaon district allegedly drowned in a pond while trying to “escape from custody” during a crime scene re-enactment.
According to the report, after receiving information about cow slaughter, a six-member CPS team headed to Madhopur village under the Gangnahar police jurisdiction in Haridwar district. Police stated that when they asked Wasim to stop his scooter, he accelerated and jumped into a pond to escape.
The police searched for Wasim, but due to the darkness, they were unable to locate him. His body was recovered the next morning.
Reacting to the news, senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai criticised the incident, saying, “A story that caught the eye: After Assam, now a cow slaughter suspect ‘drowns in a pond’ in a bid to escape, claims Uttarakhand police. ‘Chullu bhar pani me doob marna’ can’t be the law! Cries for ‘instant justice’ can’t lead to alleged short-circuiting of the law by cops. That just isn’t the way a criminal justice system works in a civilized society.”
Story that caught the eye: After Assam, now a cow slaughter suspect ‘drowns in pond’ in bid to escape claim Uttarakhand police. ‘चुल्लू-भर पानी में डूब मरना’ can’t be the law! Cries for ‘Instant justice’ can’t lead to alleged short circuiting of law by cops. That just isn’t…
— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) August 26, 2024
“After bulldozers, this is the new norm. Either you stand up after committing a crime to face the consequences, or you perish. In both cases, you perish eventually. Dissuading potential criminals seems to be the objective,” wrote another user.
Initially, villagers protested against the police and prevented them from taking the body. After an intense argument, the police took the body into custody and sent it for a postmortem. Wasim’s family has filed a complaint against the police.
Local MLA Virendra Jati has demanded that a murder case be filed against all the police officers responsible for Wasim’s death.
