Three persons were arrested on Sunday in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh district in connection with a violent assault on four men and the burning of their vehicle on Saturday, following suspicions that they were transporting cow meat.
The incident, which occurred near Panaithi Road under the jurisdiction of Harduaganj police station, led to the registration of two separate FIRs and a call for public assistance to identify the remaining accused.
According to police officials, a case was registered on the basis of a complaint by Salim Khan, the father of one of the victims, Akeel, who along with Nadeem, Akil, and Arbaaj, sustained injuries in the assault and is currently undergoing treatment at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital in Aligarh, The Indian Express reported.
The victims were allegedly pulled from their vehicle, beaten with wooden and iron rods, and robbed of their mobile phones and cash after refusing to pay money demanded by the attackers.
The FIR filed at Harduaganj police station names 13 individuals and lists 25 others as unidentified. It includes serious charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including rioting, unlawful assembly, attempt to murder, robbery, and joint criminal liability.
Meanwhile, a separate FIR under the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act was filed on the complaint of one Vijay Bajrangi, who alleged that the victims had been transporting cow meat and attempted to flee when intercepted.
Salim Khan’s complaint alleged that the assault was premeditated and carried out by individuals from neighbouring villages as part of a conspiracy to extort money. He claimed that the meat being transported was sourced from a licensed meat factory and that the attackers were part of a group demanding protection money, referred to as ‘Chauth’. A similar extortion attempt had reportedly taken place two weeks earlier, which was thwarted due to timely police intervention.
The police issued a statement on Sunday urging the public to help identify the individuals involved, sharing a video grab from the incident and pasting posters of some of the accused at various locations. Authorities stated that the identity of informants would be kept confidential.
While confirming that a vehicle had been stopped and searched near the site of the incident, they reiterated that transportation of meat in the area is allowed only with proper documentation, and that the vehicle in question had a valid licence and was carrying buffalo meat, not cow meat as alleged.
Bajrangi, who denied links to any right-wing Hindu organisation, claimed that he had been tracking the vehicle based on a tip-off and alleged that the victims attempted to run him over and assaulted nearby workers before being overpowered. He further alleged that the accused had confessed to bribing police officials to continue smuggling cow meat, a claim currently under investigation.