Two Muslims lynched to death by mob in Bengal over cattle theft allegations

Two Muslim men were killed and three others injured after a mob attacked them over allegations of cattle theft near Bagdogra in Darjeeling district in the early hours of Saturday.

The deceased were identified as Shahid Akhtar, a resident of Chopra in West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district, and Sajjad Mohammad, a resident of Haryana, according to Siliguri Additional Commissioner of Police Anirban Majumdar, reports the Hindustan Times.

One of the men died at the scene, while the other succumbed to his injuries while being taken to hospital.

Three other Muslim youths – Amir Sattar, Akram Khan and Arif Khan, all residents of Haryana – were injured in the attack. They were taken to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital for treatment, reports Maktoob Media.

The incident took place at around 2:30am near Bagdogra. The mob accused the five men of stealing cattle before assaulting them and setting their pickup van on fire.

Authorities registered a case following the attack and sent the bodies of the deceased for post-mortem examinations.

As of October 4, 2026, authorities had not released further details about any arrests in connection with the killings or disclosed how many people were involved in the attack.