Approximately 100 villagers of Khandwa district, Madhya Pradesh, allegedly thrashed 15 cattle transporters and forced them to chant ‘gau mata ki jai.’
According to sources, on the 7th of July, a group of 24 men were transporting cattle illegally for an animal fair in Maharashtra. Out of the 24 men, 15 were caught by the villagers and forced to chant the slogan ‘gau mata ki jai.’
The incident came to light after social media platforms were flooded with a video, in which 15 men were tied with a rope and were thrashed for transporting cattle illegally. They were also asked to chant ‘gau mata ki jai’ while holding their ears.
Later, the villagers took the accused to the Khalwa Police Station and handed them to the police.
Shivdayal Singh, the District Police Superintendent (DSP) of Khalwa Police Station, said, “With none of the 24 men possessing valid documents to prove their claims and also transporting the cattle in vehicles in consonance with relevant guidelines, they were arrested and booked under provisions of the Madhya Pradesh Govansh Vadh Pratishedh Adhiniyam and provisions of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.”
Although the Khalwa Police filed a case against the villagers for their violent action, no action was taken against them yet.
Out of the 24 men, 6 were Muslims, which turns the issue into a political and religious one. In the last few days, many Muslims were targeted and forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram.’
The incident took place at a time when the Madhya Pradesh Government is all set to introduce an amended bill related to the Cow Protection Act in the Assembly session.
The Madhya Pradesh Assembly session is scheduled to start from the 8th of July.
Stay tuned for further updates.
