A 24-year-old Muslim youth, Wasim Qureshi Monu, was allegedly thrown into a pond by a cattle protection squad of Uttarakhand Police, according to accusations made by his family and locals. The police claim that he drowned while attempting to evade the arrest.
The incident occurred on Saturday night in Madhopur village in Haridwar district.
Wasim was a resident of Sohlpaur Gada, a neighboring village.
Police said their six-member cattle protection squad was patrolling the area based on information about cow slaughter.
Police also claimed that when they asked Wasim to stop his scooter, he accelerated and jumped into the pond to escape.
However, local villagers and family members called it a police killing.
Family members said Wasim, a gym trainer by profession, had come to Madhopur to visit his sister. They said he was on his way home that night, denying the cow slaughter allegations.
The police searched for him throughout Saturday night but were unable to locate him due to the darkness, said police officers. The body of the 24-year-old was found in the pond on Sunday morning.
Wasim’s family lodged a police complaint against the cops. The case hasn’t been registered so far.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.