In Odisha’s Kendrapara district, activists trying to stop a truck transporting cattle illegally at night have been arrested by the police when they tried to alert the local police officials about the incident. Videos of the incident have gone viral on social media after the activists and a local journalist claimed that they have been beaten up and threatened by the police for trying to prevent cow smuggling in the area.
କେନ୍ଦ୍ରାପଡ଼ା: ଗୋରୁ ଚାଲାଣକୁ ନେଇ ତୁମୁଳକାଣ୍ଡ, ୨ ଜଣଙ୍କୁ ଅଟକ ରଖିଲା ପୋଲିସ#Kendrapara #CowSmuggling #GroundZero pic.twitter.com/8VxmYBLMK8
— ZEE Odisha (@ZeeOdisha) November 29, 2021
As per a report in Zee Odisha, the incident has occurred in Ali, Kendrapara district on Sunday night, 28 November. Local activist Subhashis Sarangi, RTI activist Dushmanta Acharya and a local journalist who had tried to highlight the incident of cow smuggling have been arrested by the police. Speaking to the media, Subhashir Sarangi stated that they had intercepted a truck smuggling cattle illegally at around midnight in Ali station area and had alerted a local home guard. When the activist came to the local police station to report the incident and get some policemen to stop the truck, he had found nobody in the station. The activist stated that all police officials on duty were sleeping at the barracks.
The IIC of the station has been accused of misbehaving with the activists and journalist. In a video that has gone viral on social media, the ICC (reportedly named Pradsoh Pattnaik) can be seen in an inebriated state, behaving rudely with the activists.
The activists say that they had given all details of the cattle smuggling truck to the police officials, but instead, they were threatened while the truck was allowed to pass.
Activists get arrested by police
Soon after the activists tried to alert the police officials about the cattle smuggling truck, the truck was reportedly allowed to pass unchecked and the activists were detained by the police. A complainant named Seikh Kalam has lodged a complaint that activists Subhashis Sarangi, Sanjay Barma and Dushmanta Acharya had attacked him on Sunday night and had looted his money. On the basis of Kalam’s complaint, the police have arrested the three.
The three arrested activists were presented in court on Monday. Activist Subhashish Sarangi has stated that recently, there has been a spike in cattle smuggling in Ali station area and rampant cattle smuggling is going on. On Sunday night, they had stopped a truck carrying cattle and had come to the local police station to report the incident. but they have been framed under false charges and arrested by the police. He has added that the local police is possibly working with the smugglers and hence trying to scare activists while allowing smugglers to pass unchecked.
