Social media post on ‘cow slaughter’ triggers protest, vandalism in Nahan

Pankaj Sharma

Nahan, June 19

Tensions escalated in Nahan today morning after photographs of an alleged cow slaughter by a youth from Uttar Pradesh were circulated on WhatsApp. The youth, belonging to a minority community and running a cloth store in the Chhota Chowk market here, had posted these photographs, leading to widespread anger among various organisations and local traders.

The incident triggered a massive protest as hundreds of angry demonstrators gathered at the Bara Chowk in the morning and marched to the Chhota Chowk, where they vandalised the two shops of the youth, throwing clothing items on the road.

They then demanded the youth’s immediate arrest and held more demonstrations. The police force was present in strength to maintain law and order, but the town’s main markets, including at Bara Chowk, Chhota Chowk and Kaccha Tank, remained closed.

The protesters, shouting slogans, marched to the Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) office but the police stopped them at the main gate. This led to a roadblock, halting all vehicular movement. The demonstrators vociferously criticised the district administration and the police and demanded stringent action against the suspect.

As the situation escalated, the DC and the SP, who were attending a district grievance redressal meeting, left it to address the protesters.

However, the protesters continued to insist on an immediate action against the accused. The SP assured them of a thorough investigation and said that the youth’s call details record (CDR) and tower location were being analysed. He added that if his presence was found within Solan district, an FIR would be lodged and a special team would be dispatched to arrest him.

The protesters submitted a memorandum to the DC, demanding stringent scrutiny of the outsiders, particularly those from Uttar Pradesh. They called for restrictions on their entry into Sirmaur without proper permits. They said that the property owners should be held accountable for any incident involving their tenants and demanded strict action against the shopkeeper.

Meanwhile, the Anjuman Islamia organisation also condemned the offensive social media posts.

Additional police force was deployed to manage the situation, while intelligence agencies kept a close watch on the developments. Tensions began to subside later but the fear of renewed unrest still lingered.