Police say Shakir, the victim, has been ‘arrested but not jailed’; Main culprit on the run while four of his accomplices are detained
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — A new case of cow vigilante assaulting a meat seller has been reported from Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad district. The incident took place on Sunday evening but came to light on Monday.
The victim, Mohammed Shakir, was caught and severely beaten up by a group of men led by Manoj Thakur, who, according to reports, was calling himself a “gau rakshak (cow vigilante)”.
Police have registered cases filed by both the victim and alleged attackers.
The video of the incident, which took place in a village located within the Katghar Police Station limits in Moradabad, was doing rounds on social media.
“We got a video of a meat-seller being beaten up and we have filed a case. There are five to six accused who have been named. We are carrying out searches and will arrest them soon,” Prabhakar Chaudhary, the Moradabad police chief, said in a statement.
थाना कटघर क्षेत्रान्तर्गत हुयी घटना के सम्बंध में #SSP @moradabadpolice की बाईट। थाना कटघर पर मुकदमा पंजीकृत किया गया है। अभियुक्तों की गिरफ्तारी हेतु पुलिस टीमें गठित की गई है। संभावित ठिकानों पर लगातार दबिश दी जा रही है। विधिक कार्यवाही शीघ्र पूर्ण की जायेगी। @Uppolice @dgpup pic.twitter.com/JKG7xStbAT
— MORADABAD POLICE (@moradabadpolice) May 24, 2021
Though police have filed a case against the men who carried out the assault based on a complaint by the victim’s brother, the main accused Manoj Thakur has not been arrested yet. Four of his accomplices have been arrested while two others are on the run, Moradabad police was quoted in the media as saying on Monday afternoon.
The counter case filed by the alleged attackers lists charges relating to ‘mischief by killing an animal’, ‘committing an act likely to spread infection’, and ‘violation of Covid lockdown guidelines’.
NDTV quoted a senior police official – a Deputy Superintendent – posted in the area as saying that Shakir had been arrested but not jailed as the charges against him are ‘bailable’.
Shakir is currently recovering at home, his family has confirmed to NDTV.
