On 7th December, Maharashtra Police booked 16 persons for launching a brutal attack on Gorakshaks and threatening them with death in the Loni region of Ahmednagar district. The accused attacked local Hindus after the latter called the police and exposed the accused who were caught slaughtering bovines in the Mamdapur village near Loni. The accused attacked the Hindu Gorakshaks using swords and iron rods, causing severe injuries to them. The victims were immediately shifted to the local hospital and are undergoing treatment.
The accused persons have been identified as Niyaz Qureshi, Saddam Qureshi, Arbaaz Qureshi, Sajim Qureshi, Saajid Qureshi, Wasim Qureshi, Samir Qureshi, Ajim Shah, Shakir Shah, Jatif Qureshi, Munir Qureshi, Imran Abdul Haq Sheikh, Ansar Ibrahim Sheikh, Najim Fakir Mohammed Sheikh, Muddasar Yasim Sheikh and Hussain Fakir Mohammed Sheikh.
These persons have been booked under sections 307 (punishment for attempt to murder), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (causing hurt using dangerous weapons), 427 (mischief), 506 (criminal intimidation), 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 148 (Rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, sections 4 and 25 of the Arms Act and 37(1) and 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951.
As per the FIR copy obtained by OpIndia, the incident is said to have happened on 6th December 2023 at around noon when some of the local Hindus and Gorakshaks learned that some smugglers were illegally transporting the bovines from Loni market to Mamadpur village for illegal slaughter. The Gorakshaks immediately informed the local police who reached the spot.
The Hindu gorakshaks identified as Appa Naikwade, Ishwar Tilekar, Sairaj Bendre, and others then assisted the Police and showed them the Mamdpur location where the cows were being illegally slaughtered. “I along with Ishwar, Sairaj went with the police in our private vehicle to Mamadpur spot to show the police the location of illegal cow slaughter. The Police saw some of the Bovines tied to a rope for illegal slaughter. However, the accused persons saw us and they launched a brutal attack on us,” Appa Naikwade, one of the victims said.
As per the complaint, the 16 identified accused and 10-12 other unidentified accused arrived at the spot with sharp weapons and threatened the gorakshaks as they attempted to release the bovines with the help of the police. The bones and other body parts of the already slaughtered bovines could be spotted at the location. The accused saw the gorakshaks and launched a brutal attack.
The 16 identified accused used swords, iron rods, and sticks to assault the gorakshaks resulting in severe injuries. The accused also threatened the gorakshaks saying, “We won’t leave you this time, kill them all.” The Police then tried to settle the matter and rescued the gorakshaks to a nearby farm. However, the victims had attained severe injuries by then.
One of the victims identified as Sairaj has been admitted to the hospital and has attained severe injuries. OpIndia tried to contact the victim but the latter could not speak. He has been advised to take rest by the doctors. OpIndia also tried to contact the Loni Police station where the complaint has been filed, but the calls remained unestablished. Further probe is underway.
Cow protection has been painted as a ‘communal’ issue where Gorakshaks are depicted as rogue groups that attack ‘innocent’ Muslims transporting cows to slaughterhouses. Cattle are a source of livelihood for millions in rural India and are loved as their family members. Cows, especially, are also considered holy by Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs alike, and slaughtering them is considered to be a sin.
The government has imposed a ban on cow slaughter as per the Animal Welfare Act. Despite this, numerous cows, bullocks, cattle, and other animals are smuggled across Telangana state at night in both large and small vehicles from the state of Maharashtra.
Earlier on 20th November, a similar incident was reported from the Satara district of Maharashtra. A 29-year-old Gorakshak identified as Wagheshwar Adake was brutally assaulted by a group of ‘smugglers’ who were illegally transporting cattle for slaughter from the Barad Marketyard area of Phaltan in Maharashtra’s Satara district. The victim was attacked by a sharp knife after he stopped the truck carrying around 35-40 buffaloes illegally on the Phaltan-Pandharpur road.
On Tuesday (10th October) Gorakshaks in Pune saved two cows from the clutches of cow smugglers who were taking the cows to a slaughterhouse in Pune. Iqbal Alam and other two smugglers were arrested in this case based on the complaint filed by Gorakshak Upendra Balkavde. In another incident in the Pune district, cow meat was seized from a car in Manchar on 9th October.
