Written by Sujit BisoyiBhubaneswar | January 17, 2026 07:14 AM IST 3 min readIt was only later that an FIR on the assault was registered based on a complaint lodged by Jitendar. In his complaint, Jitendar alleged that five persons detained the van on the road and brutally assaulted his brother with deadly weapons.Before Sk Makandar Mahammad left home on Tuesday night, he promised his children he would take them to the local Makar Mela festivities after returning from work. However, early the next morning, the 35-year-old was beaten to death, allegedly by cow vigilantes.His brother, Sk Jitendar Mahammad, told The Indian Express that he was the only earning member of a family of seven, which comprised his wife, three children, including a two-month-old baby, his mother, and his father, who suffers from paralysis. They were from Astia on the outskirts of Balasore.“He used to work as a mason in Balasore town with a daily earning of around Rs 500. We don’t know why he had gone in that van that day,” Jitendar said.In the early hours of Wednesday, he was travelling in a van in which cattle were purportedly being transported. The van’s driver and Makandar were allegedly assaulted by a group of men who objected to the transportation of the cattle. Makandar died while undergoing treatment at Balasore district hospital hours later.Police initially registered an FIR based on the complaint of a sub-inspector at Balasore Sadar police station, naming the driver and owner of the van and not mentioning the assault. This FIR said a pickup van loaded with cattle was allegedly driven from the Jayadeva Kasba side in a rash and negligent manner, and that it lost balance and overturned on the roadside. It was registered under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, the Orissa Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, and sections of the BNS.It was only later that an FIR on the assault was registered based on a complaint lodged by Jitendar. In his complaint, Jitendar alleged that five persons detained the van on the road and brutally assaulted his brother with deadly weapons.Police have arrested three people in connection with the case, but Jitendar alleged that more were involved in the assault and demanded that they, too, be arrested. “We have faith that police will take necessary action and arrest the other accused,” said Jitendar.Story continues below this ad“Who has given these goons the authority to take the law into their hands? Even if my brother had committed any crime, they should have handed him over to police to take necessary action as per the law. How can they kill someone?” Jitendar asked, adding that such a thing should not happen to anyone else in the future.As per the family, Makandar sustained serious injuries to his head and multiple parts of his body. “We came to know that police rescued him and took him to the Balasore district headquarters hospital. When we reached the hospital after getting the information, the doctor declared him dead and took his body for postmortem,” said a family member. Sujit Bisoyi is a Special Correspondent with the Indian Express and covers Odisha. His interests are in politics, policy and people’s stories. He tweets at @bisoyisujit87 ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd