Bhadravati police have arrested seven persons, said to be Bajrang Dal activists, in connection with two incidents of assault over halal meat. The accused allegedly assaulted a customer in a hotel for having halal food, and, in another incident, insisted that a chicken stall owner sell only non-halal meat.
The arrested persons are Vadivelu, 37, of Hosamane in Bhadravati; Savayi Singh, 32, Sriramanagar; Ramu, 30, Hosamane; Sanjay, 23, Old Town; Srikanth, 25, Gandhi Nagar; Lokesh, 29, Hosmane; and Manjunath, 25, Jedikatte. All of them reside in and around Bhadravati.
The accused allegedly entered Janata Hotel on B.H. Road in Old Town of Bhadravati on March 30 and assaulted a customer who was having halal food. They insisted that he should have only non-halal food.
Based on the complaint by the customer, a resident of Anwar Colony, Old Town Police registered a case.
The same day, the accused allegedly picked an argument with the owner of a chicken stall at Hosamane on the halal issue and insisted that he should sell only non-halal meat.
They argued that since the shop is located in a locality where Hindus reside in large numbers, the shopkeeper should sell only non-halal meat. If he failed to meet the demand, his shop would be closed, they allegedly warned.
Hosamane police registered a case.
“Based on the two separate cases, we have arrested seven people,” said B.M. Laxmi Prasad, Superintendent of Police of Shivamogga.
