Tension in west Uttar Pradesh village after recovery of 'cow meat'

The alleged recovery of 150 kg of cow meat led to tension in a village in west UP bringing back disturbing memories of another incident in this region in which a Muslim man was beaten to death by a mob on September 9 last year following rumours that his family had stored and eaten beef.

In the latest incident, tension prevailed in Gauspur village of Baghpat district after police recovered over 150 kg of meat from a butcher's house in Singhavali police station area. Police claimed they seized the meat following a tip-off about cow slaughter in the house.

Bajrang Dal workers turned up in large numbers at the house and staged a protest. However, police and local authorities prevented the situation from getting out of hand.
The police have lodged an FIR against five persons under the Uttar Pradesh Cow Slaughter Prevention Act, though there is no official confirmation yet about the meat being that of a cow. The accused include a 60-year-old woman, the head of the household. The meat has been sent for laboratory test.
The police have arrested the woman, Wakeela, and a neighbourhood youth, Talib (22) from the house. Three others including Wakeela's son Nazim and his associates Monu and Sonu managed to escape from the spot, the police claimed.

Additional SP, Baghpat, Aziz-ul Haq told reporters that the district veterinary officer checked the meat and said "it was of cow or its progeny".
The meat sample, he said, had been sent for a laboratory test to get an authentic report, he added.

A mob led by local Bajrang Dal leaders reached the Muslim-dominated village and raised slogans against cow slaughter following which heavy police force has been deployed to maintain order, circle officer, Baghpat, Karamveer Singh, told reporters.

The SHO (station house officer) of the Singhavali police station Satish Chandra said a local court had sent Talib to judicial custody while Wakeela was granted bail on grounds of health from the police station against two securities of Rs 50,000 each.

The SHO said they were tipped off on Tuesday afternoon about a stolen cow being slaughtered in a house at Gauspur village following which they had conducted the raid.
Seeing the police, three persons managed to escape by scaling the boundary wall of the house, while Wakeela and Talib were caught.
The police recovered around 150 kg of the meat from the place, added the SHO. "We also recovered blood-stained butcher knives lying nearby," he said.
As the news spread, a mob from adjoining villages led by Bajrang Dal workers gathered outside Wakeela's house. They raised slogans against cow slaughter and demanded arrest of the accused who were absconding.

Bajrang Dal district convener, Vinod Khindaura said, "We reached the village after we got to know about beef being recovered from this house. We staged a protest but called it off after senior officers assured us of strict action against the culprits."

Dadri incident

The Baghpat incident predictably reminds one of the lynching of 50-year-old Akhlaq by a mob in Bishada village of Dadri in west UP last year after rumours had similarly spread about the Muslim family eating cow meat. The incidents are sure to be used as political fodder as UP faces a high voltage election. The fresh incident comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked people to beware of fake cow protectors trying to divide society and the country and asked the states to severely punish them. The BJP and the Modi government have been facing flak over cow vigilantes stoking communal tension in various states including Uttar Pradesh.

As per the UP Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act (1955), beef eating is not a crime in the state, only cow slaughter is. “Beef means flesh of cow but does not include such flesh contained in sealed containers and imported as such into UP,” it says.