On March 12, carcasses of around 20 cows were found near a railway track close to village Jhans in Tanda Urmar, located 36 KM from Hoshiarpur. The incident has triggered tension in the region. A two-member committee has been constituted by the Punjab Gau Sewa Commission to probe the incident. The committee would submit a report in seven days.
As soon as the information of the incident reached the Hindus nearby, they reached the spot and jammed Jalandhar-Pathankot GT Road, demanding action against the culprits. Bajrang Dal’s Sandeep told Asia Net News that on receiving the information about the incident, Bajrang Dal activists along with other Hindu organizations reached the spot. They informed the police about the incident. They alleged the police initially was not registering the case, after which they jammed the highway.
An FIR under IPC 295 (A) and under the Prevention of cruelty to Animals Act has been registered in the case by the Railway Police. It has been reported the cows and bulls were brought in a truck that had potato gunny bags to hide the cows. The Hindu organizations have urged the police to check CCTV footage of the toll plaza nearby.
Harvinder Singh, SHO, Tanda Police Station, and Rajkumar, DSP Tanda, reached the spot for investigation. DSP Rajkumar said in a statement that the carcasses were found 200 meters away from the Railway track. The flesh was ripped off from the carcasses. It is believed that the culprits might have heard someone coming and left the carcasses. He further added the police would check the toll plaza’s CCTV that is located 600 meters from the spot. Mukhtiar Singh, SP (Investigation), said 12 gunny bags filled with potatoes were also found at the place of the incident.
Speaking to OpIndia, former cabinet minister and BJP leader from Hoshiarpur, Tikshan Sood, said the timing of the incident raised a lot of questions. “It was a heartbreaking scene at the spot. Anyone who has respect for cows would have broken down after seeing what they had done to the cows and bulls. BJP is going to raise the issue at the highest levels. The action taken by the new government will show if they are serious about the issues related to Hindus in the state.”
Sood further added initially, the Railway Police and Tanda Police kept arguing under whose jurisdiction the case would fall. It took hours for them to decide and register FIR in the case.
Chief minister-designate Bhagwant Mann has condemned the incident and promised strict action against the culprits. The Hindu organizations demanded last rites for the cows and bulls that was accepted by the administration.
