A woman and her son in West Bengal's Malda district were attacked on Sunday with a sharp object and her fingers were chopped off after she was in an altercation with her neighbour over the woman's cattle grazing on the neighbour's field.
An FIR was registered against Harun Seikh, the neighbour, and seven other persons at Baisnabnagar police station, Press Trust of India reported.
The woman and his son, the names of whom were not revealed by the police officer, were admitted to a hospital.
"I can't believe they tried to kill my wife only because the cow entered the field and ate the produce. Now when I'm trying to register my complaint, they are threatening to kill me," the victim's husband was quoted as saying by DNA.
"Sheikh allegedly attacked the woman with a sharp-edged weapon when she argued," the officer quoted the FIR as saying.
Seven other people who were named in the FIR reportedly provoked Sheikh against the woman.
While some reports said that her fingers were chopped off, DNA reported that the woman was also stripped and paraded naked. Local TV channels had allegedly also reported the same, but the officer dismissed the reports.
"Such channel reports are baseless," the police officer said, according to PTI.
The incident occurred after the woman's cow reportedly entered Sheikh's field, after which he and his associates, Lalu Sheikh, Iftar Sheikh, Ahmed Sheikh, and three other local goons, beat the cow up. The animal was also injured. It reportedly has fractures on its legs, DNA reported. The woman tried to stop them from hurting the animal further, but she was beaten by them instead. Her son was also hurt after he tried to save his mother.
No arrests have been made yet. The investigation is ongoing.
