A vehicle carrying animal skins and bones was set on fire and its driver beaten up by a group of young men near Anangpur village here over the weekend on suspicion of transporting beef. A case has been registered and five persons have been arrested.
Driver Anil Kumar said that he was on his way to Hapur from Badkhal in his mini-truck late on Saturday when a man, later identified as Chintu, overtook the vehicle in his jeep near Anangpur village forcing him to stop.
“He then pulled out the driver and started beating him and accusing him of transporting beef. Contractor Karjan, to whom the material belonged, was following the vehicle on his scooty and called the police. Even before the police could reach, a group of 40-50 young men from the village reached the spot and thrashed the driver and the helpers,” said Mohammad Aslam, owner of the mini-truck.
The mob outnumbered the police and set the vehicle on fire. “The young men also threw stones at the police,” said Mr. Aslam.
Demanding strict action, Aslam argued that his driver had not committed a theft and did not deserved to be beaten without any fault. “We are engaged in a legitimate business with all valid licences from the government. The government also earns revenue from us. All this must stop,” said Mr. Aslam.
‘I have a licence’
Karjan, who has been dealing with animal skins for over two decades, said that he had encountered two to three such incidents over the past three years. He said that he had a licence from the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad to take dead animals in the Old Faridabad area and skin them.
“We lift all kinds of dead animals such as buffaloes, cows, nilgai, donkeys and dogs. The bones and skins are taken to Hapur and are used in making fertilisers,” said Karjan, a member of a scheduled caste community.
Station House Officer, Surajkund, Inspector Pankaj Kumar said that a case had been registered against the accused under the Indian Penal Code and the Scheduled Castes and Tribes ( Prevention of Atrocities ) Act. Five persons have been arrested.
“The assailants were all drunkards and miscreants,” said Mr. Kumar .
