Alwar village tense after recovery of ‘beef’

Villagers force shopkeepers to pull down shutters

Tension prevailed in Govindgarh village of Rajasthan's Alwar district on Monday following the recovery of about 40 kg of suspected beef from a house. While the meat was seized and three women were arrested, the villagers forced shopkeepers in the market to pull down their shutters and gathered at the police station to demand strict action.

A police team raided a butcher’s house on being tipped-off that a cow had been slaughtered there and beef was to be sold in the nearby villages. The police said three women packaging the meat were arrested from the house and the suspected beef and cow skin were seized.

Force deployed

Additional police force was deployed in Govindgarh to keep the situation under control, though no violence was reported from anywhere. The police have launched a hunt for tracing the house owner, Shakil Khan, and another accused, who are absconding.

A case was registered under the Rajasthan Bovine Animal Act and the meat samples were sent for forensic test.

The incident comes close on the heels of alleged lynching of Haryana resident Rakbar Khan in Alwar district's Lalawandi village on July 20 night on the suspicion that he was smuggling cows to his native village.

Both Lalawandi and Govindgarh are situated in the Ramgarh Assembly constituency of Alwar district.