5 ferrying meat in truck held

Abohar, November 2

A police team today arrested five persons and seized a large quantity of meat being transported “illegally” in a mini truck near Sukhchain village on the Abohar-Seetogunno road here.

The truck, bearing an Uttar Pradesh registration number, and a car escorting it were impounded. Those arrested include Rajan and Sheelu of Prem Nagar in Abohar; Hasan Alam and Jani Alam of Hapur; and Nabi Hyder of Rampur in Saharanpur district of UP.

A case under Sections 295A (outraging religious feelings), 428 (commit mischief by killing animal), 429 (punishment for killing animal), 153A (wanton vilification or attack on religion) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and the Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act had been registered at the Wahabwala police station. The arrests were made on a complaint by Paramdeep Bhadoo of Waryamkhera village in this regard. Members of the Bajrang Dal Hindustan, Gau Raksha Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Akhil Bharatiya Jeev Raksha Bishnoi Sabha organised a protest claiming an organised gang had been rounding up stray animals.

At least three truckloads of animals had been intercepted this year but the suspects, who fled leaving behind the vehicles, were yet to be nabbed, they said. The protesters raised slogans alleging police inaction in curbing the menace. They later buried the meat by digging a pit using a JCB machine outside Sukhchain village.

The families of the local suspects, however, claimed they had been lifting dead animals and taking the meat to Muzaffnagar to sell as fish feed. They claimed no wrongdoing and demanded cancellation of the criminal case. However, they couldn’t clarify if they had been legally authorised to ferry the meat. — OC