Mathura/Varanasi (UP), March 21 A vigilante known as "Farsa wale Baba" was killed after he was hit by a truck on a highway near the Haryana border early Saturday when he, along with his associates, stopped another vehicle on suspicion of cattle smuggling, officials said.
The incident triggered violent protests and a traffic blockade on the day President Droupadi Murmu was visiting the district. Angry locals blocked the national highway, leading to traffic jams stretching several kilometers.
Supporters of Chandrashekhar, known as "Farsa wale Baba," alleged that he was run over by cattle smugglers when he was trying to stop a truck carrying cattle near the Kotvan border area. Authorities rejected this claim and said the accident occurred due to poor visibility.
District Magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh said the incident occurred around 4 am when the victim, along with his followers, stopped a Nagaland-registered container on suspicion that it was carrying cattle near the Kosi Kalan area. The vehicle was found to be carrying grocery items such as soap, phenyl, and shampoo.
He said that amidst dense fog, a Rajasthan-registered truck carrying wire rammed into them from behind, leading to Chandrashekhar's death on the spot. The truck driver was injured, and the vehicle was damaged.
According to videos circulating on social media, protesters allegedly vandalized police and administrative vehicles when authorities attempted to clear the road.
The police later used mild force to disperse the crowd.
Senior Superintendent of Police Shlok Kumar said that some anti-social elements tried to disrupt the situation, prompting police action.
Four to five people have been detained for questioning, he said, adding that the situation was under control with traffic restored. Heavy police deployment has been made in the area, he added.
The police said that Chandrashekhar's body was taken by his followers to his gaushala (cow shelter) in Ajanokh village for the last rites. A post-mortem will be conducted if the family or followers request it in writing.
Earlier in the day, Murmu prayed at the Danghati Temple in Govardhan, where she participated in the aarti of Giriraj Ji Maharaj and performed Govardhan Parikrama as part of her three-day visit to Uttar Pradesh.
Hitting out at the UP government over the death of "Farsa Wale Baba," Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati in Varanasi said that the Adityanath government had claimed that no one in the state can even scratch a cow. But, the reality is unfolding differently as cow smugglers have murdered a cow-devotee Baba in Mathura.
He said that the audacity of these cow smugglers has grown to such an extent that they deliberately ran a truck over cow-protector Chandrashekhar.
"Yogi Adityanath has failed in his duty to protect the 'Gau Mata' (cow), and the intimidating aura of his bulldozers has completely faded away," he said.