An upper caste villager from Dumbar village in Tikamgarh district has left to take a dip in the Ganga, in keeping with local custom, after he killed a cow belonging to a lower caste villager in a fit of anger. Mohan Tiwari, 40, reportedly got angry because the cow, owned by Shankar Ahirwar, entered his field more than once. He allegedly hit the animal with a sharp weapon.

When word spread that the cow had died, members of the Brahmin community met and ordered that Tiwari undergo punishment that involves taking a dip in the Ganga and organising a feast for the village. Ahirwar was not keen on filing a police complaint after reportedly striking a deal with the upper caste villager.

Inspector Kailash Babu Arya said that Bajrang Dal activists forced Ahirwar to lodge a police complaint. Arya said post mortem was conducted and after it was established that the animal died of injuries, Tiwari was booked under the Madhya Pradesh Prohibition of Cow Slaughter Act.

Arya said the villagers were under the impression that the cow had died on Friday but that was not the case. The animal died on Saturday morning. He said neither the complainant nor the villagers came clean on the amount Tiwari had agreed to pay to him. Quoting the complainant, the police official said he did not want to approach the police after the caste panchayat’s decision but was made to approach the police by right-wing activists. Arya said Tiwari was likely to return on Sunday.

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