The riot-hit town of Muzaffarnagar was tense after a dozen people were injured in a clash between police personnel and common public over rumours of cow slaughter at the Sherpur village on Friday.
The clash erupted moments after the police personnel were returning from the village after failing to find evidence to back the alleged reports of cow slaughter in Sherpur.
The villagers took to stone pelting when some of the police personnel allegedly beat up some villagers.
According to Mehraj, one of the villagers who sustained injuries during the clash, the police entered households and started beating people who were sick and bedridden while searching some of the houses for alleged cow slaughter.
“When the villagers protested against the beating of people, the police lathicharged us. Some of us got badly injured. This is no way of policing and investigating cow slaughter. We are no criminals. This worsened the situation and agitated and angry villagers started stone-pelting. Two police vehicles were burnt in this process,” he said.
More force rush to site
Extra police force was rushed to the spot to control law and order.
According to the Deputy Inspector General (Saharanpur range) Kattarpu S. Emmanuel, police had gone to the Sherpur village after they got a tip-off about cow slaughter in a particular house.
“The police team tried to verify the tip-off and see if it was true. The police did not find anything in the particular house and even in its neighbourhood. The team was returning when the violence happened,” he said.
