In Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, a 37-year-old Muslim man, Mohammad Shahideen Qureshi, was brutally assaulted by a mob over allegations of cow slaughter and later succumbed to his injuries. Despite the gruesome attack, police have not made any arrests in the murder case but have detained Qureshi’s friend, Mohammad Adnan, who survived the assault. The police have registered an FIR against Qureshi and Adnan for cow slaughter while a separate FIR for murder against unidentified individuals has seen no progress.

According to officials, Adnan allegedly admitted during interrogation to killing an ox, leading to the attack. However, a video of the assault circulating online shows members of a Hindutva mob shouting slogans like “Jai Shri Ram” while brutally attacking Qureshi. Witness accounts and the viral video have sparked outrage, but authorities have claimed the incident does not meet the “technical definition of lynching,” as the mob allegedly did not know Qureshi’s religion. The lack of arrests in the murder case and the focus on the cow slaughter allegations have drawn widespread criticism.

Qureshi, a bodybuilder and father of three, lived in the Asalatpur locality with his wife Rizwana and sons Aaram (13), Aashi (11), and Ibjaan (9). His widow has decried the attack as an act of cruelty, questioning the vigilantes’ authority to take a life over an alleged animal slaughter. “Who gave them the right to kill my husband? What happened to him was inhumane,” she said. The incident has heightened communal tensions in the area, with critics demanding