11 houses were demolished by police in Madhya Pradesh’s tribal dominated Mandla. Police said the houses were built on government land, and was demolished as part action taken against the ‘illegal beef trade in the state’.
Speaking to PTI, Superintendent of Police Rajat Saklecha said that the action was taken after a tip-off was received that a large number of cows had been held captive for slaughter in the Bhainwahi area in Nainpur, Mandla.
He said over 150 cows were found tied in the backyards of the accused, and cow meat were found in the refrigerators in the homes of all the 11 accused. Animal fat, cattle skin and bones were also found stuffed in a room, he said.
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“The local government veterinarian has confirmed the seized meat is beef. We have also sent samples to Hyderabad for secondary DNA analysis. The houses of the11 accused were demolished as they were on government land”, said the SP.
FIR was registered on Friday night following the recovery of the cows and beef. Saklecha said that the 150 cows have been sent to a cattle shelter. He said the Bhainswahi area has become a hub of cow smuggling for a while now. “Cow slaughter in MP is punishable with a jail term of seven years”, he added.
The police said that the criminal history of two of the accused has been gathered and details of remaining individuals are still processing. All the accused were Muslims.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh’s Jaora town of Ratlam district became tense after body parts of a bovine animal were found thrown at the premises of a local temple, as reported by PTI.
Hindu outfits in the area staged a protest over the issue. The incident happened at the Jaagnath Mahadev temple in the wee hours of Friday. Police performed teargas shells and lathi-charged at the protesters to bring the situation under control, said eyewitnesses.
Two persons named Salman Mevati (24) and Shaqir Qureshi (19), who were alleged to be the hands behind the issue, were arrested and the “illegal portions” of their houses were taken down.