The police on Friday (January 16, 2026) arrested three persons in connection with the lynching of a 35-year-old Muslim man in Odisha’s Balasore district in the early hours of Wednesday (January 14, 2026). They have also identified eight others who were present at the spot when the man was attacked.
Appropriate action will be taken against them, police said.
The victim, identified as Sk Makandar Mahammad of Astia village, was allegedly attacked by a group of people who opposed the reported transportation of a cow in a van near Jayadeva Kasba. It was alleged that Mahammad was forced to chant “Jai Shri Ram” at the spot.
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A video purportedly showing the victim being forced to chant the slogan has surfaced, though the police said its authenticity has not been ascertained.
Based on a case filed at the Balasore Sadar police station, three accused—Saroj Kumar Behera (25), Chinmay Kumar Das (29) and Sagar Mahalik—have been arrested.
“Three accused have been arrested for their involvement in the crime. We have identified another eight people who were present at the spot where the man was attacked,” said Deputy Inspector General of Police (Eastern range) Pinak Mishra.
Soon after the incident, the Balasore district police had initially registered a case of an accident due to the overturning of a vehicle. However, after the victim’s brother, Sk Jitendar Mahammad, registered a complaint about the attack, the police swung into action.
Jitendar Mahammad, who was also in the vehicle, told police that the victim had been driving the van.
According to an internal report by the Home Department, more than 220 cases of conflict related to cow transportation and slaughter have been reported across Odisha over the last four years.
The incident comes close on the heels of the lynching of a migrant labourer in Sambalpur district in December, 2025. The Bengali-speaking Muslim, who had migrated from West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, was allegedly asked to produce his Aadhaar card to prove his nationality before being attacked.
Published – January 16, 2026 10:54 pm IST
