2 min readMar 21, 2026 01:44 PM IST
Violence broke out in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura on Saturday morning following rumours that a local sadhu had been killed while trying to stop cow smugglers. While the police clarified that the sadhu had died in an accident, a mob blocked the Mathura-Delhi highway, pelted stones injuring policemen, and vandalised police vehicles.
The sadhu was identified as Chandrashekhar alias Farsa Baba.
Shlok Kumar, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Mathura, denied rumours that a truck smuggling cows had hit him. “The incident took place between 3 and 4 am today when Chandrashekhar stopped a truck, suspecting it was involved in cow smuggling. It was found laden with grocery items. While the Baba was engaged in a discussion with the driver, another truck coming from the opposite side, from Rajasthan, hit him, causing his death,” the SSP added.
It was a truck loaded with wires from Kota in Rajasthan that hit the sadhu, he said, adding that the truck driver too was injured in the accident.
Following the incident, locals, who had gathered along the highway, started pelting stones at the policemen from the local police station when they tried to disperse the crowd. Amid fears of the violence escalating, a heavy police force, including personnel from the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and Rapid Action Force (RAF), was rushed to the spot.
The police took a group of men to both trucks, showed them the goods being transported, and conveyed that no cows were being smuggled. The blockade was cleared using force, and the mob was dispersed, officials said.
The violence broke out while President Droupadi Murmu was performing a ‘parikrama’ ritual of Govardhan Hill, about 25 km away from the highway. All senior police officials were deployed for the President’s security at the time. Murmu is on a Mathura-Vrindavan visit since March 19.
