Despite clear video evidence and an FIR registered on August 23, police in Odisha’s Sundargarh district have made no arrests in the brutal assault of two Christian tribal brothers by suspected cow vigilantes.
Church groups and community members submitted video evidence to the Superintendent of Police’s office, demanding stronger charges and immediate arrests in the August 19 attack on Johan Soren, 66, and his brother Philip Soren, 55. Tribal leaders have warned of large-scale agitation if the perpetrators are not swiftly arrested.
“If pressure is not built, these incidents will continue,” warned Advocate Ashok Minj, a lawyer practising at Sundargarh District Court.
The brothers from Telenadihi village were brutally beaten by a mob of 15-16 men while transporting their own cattle to a buyer. They had sold their two bulls and two calves for Rs 40,000 to fund urgent medical treatment for Johan’s ailing wife.
The attack occurred near Malipada Road after two local youths, Pintu Luhura and Montu Luhura, initially questioned the brothers about the cattle near Telenadihi Baragachh Square. After the brothers explained they had sold the animals, the youths initially left without incident.
However, the same youths soon returned with a larger group, including Pritam Luhura, Akash Bariha, and Asmita Chhatriya. The mob, identifying themselves as “Gau Rakshaks” (cow vigilantes), accused the brothers of cattle smuggling and launched a merciless assault with sticks and kicked them until both were left bleeding and barely conscious on the roadside.
“We told them we were selling our own cattle to save my wife’s life,” a relative recounted later. “They just laughed and said we were smugglers.”
Johan suffered multiple fractured ribs that make breathing extremely difficult. Philip sustained a broken hand that prevents him from working their small plot of land. Both remain hospitalised with serious injuries.
Seeking justice proved as challenging as surviving the attack. Lephripada police initially refused to register a formal complaint, allegedly questioning the victims’ legal right to their own cattle and citing an existing cow-smuggling complaint lodged by the attackers.
“The police used unnecessary tactics to delay the registration of the FIR,” said Advocate Minj.
The victims approached the Superintendent of Police’s office on August 22, but found the SP on leave. Only after the SP’s office contacted the police station and learned the victims planned to escalate the matter did Inspector Ashok Kumar Dash finally register the FIR on August 23. The attackers were booked under Sections 115(2), 117(2), 351(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, provisions widely criticised as weak for such a violent attack.
Court proceedings in the case have yet to begin. The Soren family’s financial crisis has been compounded by mounting medical bills for both the wife and the injured brothers.
