A forensic report submitted to Haryana police has confirmed that the meat taken from the residence of Sabir Malik, a 26-year-old waste-picker who was allegedly killed by cow vigilantes over suspicions of consuming cow meat in Charkhi Dadri’s Badhra area, was not beef.
On August 27, Malik and his associate Aseeruddin were attacked by a group of cow vigilantes who accused them of consuming beef. Malik succumbed to his injuries from the assault. Haryana Deputy Superintendent of Police Bharat Bhushan told media that the food sample collected after Malik’s murder was sent for lab analysis, which has now confirmed it was not beef.
Originally from West Bengal, Malik had moved to Haryana with his family in search of work to support his wife, Shakina Sardar Malik, and their young daughter. As migrant labourers and waste-pickers, they settled in Badhra Tehsil, Haryana, where they reportedly lived under frequent threats from a Hindutva mob that often accused them of being “Bangladeshi.”
On August 27, cow vigilantes allegedly approached Malik, luring him to a local bus stand under the pretence of needing help with scrap materials. They also summoned another Muslim migrant worker, Asiruddin from Assam, to the bus stand. Both men were reportedly assaulted there, and when bystanders tried to intervene, the assailants forcibly took Malik and Aseeruddin on motorcycles to an undisclosed location.
Later, Malik’s body was discovered near a canal in Bhandwa village, while Aseeruddin was left injured at another location.
A social media video showing the brutal assault on Malik sparked public outrage, prompting police to act. Authorities have since arrested the alleged perpetrators, identified as Abhishek, Mohit, Ravinder, Kamaljit, and Sahil.
