Mathura Violence: 5 Detained As Police Intensify Crackdown On Stone-Pelters After Gau Rakshak's Death; Hunt for Others On

New Delhi: Following the death of well known cow-protection activist Chandrashekhar, also known as ‘Farsa Wale Baba,’ the Mathura police have intensified their crackdown on rioters, detaining five individuals identified as stone-pelters.

The arrests come as part of a broader search operation involving door-to-door patrolling in surrounding houses to locate the Baba’s supporters and others who went into hiding after clashing with law enforcement.

Reportedly, a scuffle broke out between police and locals in Mathura’s Kosi area after people blocked the road to protest the death of a ‘Gau Rakshak’ who was allegedly run over by cattle smugglers.

Amid simmering tensions which occurred in the Kosi Kalan and Chhata areas, the protestors blocked the Delhi-Agra Highway leading to significant traffic congestion and pelted stones at security personnel, who had to use mild force to bring the situation under control.

How the incident unfloded

In a significant update regarding the unrest in Mathura, police have officially clarified the circumstances surrounding the death of Chandrashekhar.

According to the Mathura Police, the incident occurred between 3:00 AM and 4:00 AM in the Kosi Kalan station area when the activist had stopped a vehicle on suspicion of cattle smuggling; however, a truck approaching from behind, loaded with industrial wires, collided with him due to extremely dense fog.

Investigations have also confirmed that the vehicle Chandrashekhar originally intercepted was carrying grocery items, not cattle and the authorities have officially classified the event as a road accident, explicitly stating there is no connection to cattle smuggling.

The cops added "This is a road accident, it has no connection to cattle smuggling."

Furthermore, the situation is now reported to be under control as legal proceedings continue against those who disrupted public order.

Conflicting narrative

Notably, the core of the unrest lies in the conflicting narratives surrounding the activist's death where his supporters allege a deliberate murder by cattle smugglers who purportedly ran him over, whereas preliminary police findings suggest the death may have been a tragic accident involving a different vehicle during a high-speed chase.

Cops deployed

Despite the heavy tension and the initial resistance to moving the body for a post-mortem examination, a large police contingent remains deployed in the region to maintain order. 

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also condemned the incident stating, "We know what wrong is being done where. We can see the reaction to the wrong being done. A murder occurred in Mathura, and in Varanasi before that, even in Gorakhpur earlier. So, this series has been going on in Uttar Pradesh. Women are unsafe...When you make the police do something else, they will sleep away. They won't do their work. They are working for the BJP, not doing its own work..."

Also Read: Gau Rakshak Killed In Mathura On Eid: Protesters Say Murdered By Smugglers, Cops Call It Accident; CM Yogi Orders Crackdown