The two accused were paraded for almost a kilometre before being taken to the police station
Team Clarion
BHOPAL – Members of the far-right groups Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Thursday garlanded and offered sweets to a police officer for parading and thrashing two Muslim men accused of cow slaughter in Madhya Pradesh’s city of Ujjain.
The Hindutva groups hailed Gahtiya police station inspector DL Dasoriya a day after several videos of police brutality against Salim Mewati and Aqib Mewati went viral on social media. They were beaten up and paraded through a busy area.
During the parade, the two men were forced to chant “Gau hamari mata hai, police hamara baap hai”, which loosely translates to “Cow is our mother and police is our father.”
https://twitter.com/KashifKakvi/status/1897325484314423762
In one of the videos, a police officer asks Salim and Aaqib why they were paraded. The men reply that they were involved in the business of cow slaughtering. The two Muslim men were paraded for almost a kilometre before being taken to the police station.
According to the Ujjain Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Nitesh Bhargav, a tip-off was received on 16 February regarding cow slaughter being conducted in the Ghatiya area of the city. “As soon as we got the information, the police took action and seized the culprit’s vehicle, mobile phones, and the cow meat. Two individuals were arrested, while a third suspect remains at large. Teams have been formed to apprehend the third accused,” the ASP said in a video byte.
The police action has come under fire for taking extra-judicial action against the accused.
Madhya Pradesh-based journalist Kashif Kakvi said “Ballu Pahade (60) & son Virendra (35) arrested in Jabalpur on 31 Jan 2025, for cow slaughtering with 70+ kg cow meat — the info didn’t get out. Police and media downplayed it. When two Muslims were arrested in Ujjain accused of plotting cow slaughter, police put a public show #flogging publicly and were forced to chant slogans”.
