Four persons have been arrested and two first information reports (FIRs) lodged in connection with the row over alleged illegal cow slaughter and ferrying of cattle in a Mathura village on Sunday night, police said. The incident came to light after a video of a Muslim driver being thrashed by locals went viral.
Martand Prakash Singh, Superintendent of Police (City), Mathura, said prima facie no evidence of bovine was found in the pick-up van and that the injuries to the victim and two others were not serious. However, Mr. Singh said, had the police not reached on time, the victim could have been lynched. “There were hundreds of people on the streets,” he said.
“The initial investigation revealed that the van belonged to one Rameshwar Valmiki of Goverdhan town who had the Gram Panchayat licence to dispose of the dead animals. The van was taking animal carcasses from Goverdhan town in Mathura to Sikandrarau in Hathras when it was stopped in Raal village of Mathura. We have taken custody of the carcasses and have sent samples to the lab,” he said.
