NEW DELHI: Members of the Muslim community were forced to flee their homes after a Hindutva mob torched shops and vandalised vehicles in Damjipura village of Betul district, Madhya Pradesh, following the circulation of a video purportedly showing an unknown person engaging in intercourse with a cow.
The incident occurred on Sunday after the video—said to be old—went viral on social media.
Salma Bi, a resident of the village, said a large mob gathered in her area and pelted stones at Muslim houses, creating panic and fear.
“The peace was severely disturbed. We had never witnessed such disturbance here. It is the first time we are witnessing such violence. We were extremely scared. They were pelting stones, vandalising vehicles and damaging the glass of houses. They were engaging in all kinds of violence,” Salma said.
She added that the police arrived only after the violence had already taken place.
“All of our people fled the village. They went to different places. There are only a few people left in the village. We are extremely scared. If something happens to us, who will be responsible for that? We have never seen such an incident in our lives,” she said.
Another resident said that although the accused in the alleged cow rape case had already been detained by the police, a large mob still descended on the village, forced shopkeepers to shut down their businesses, brought petrol, and set shops on fire.
This story was originally published in thehindustangazette.com. Read the full story here.