3 roughed up by ‘animal activists’ for cruel transportation of cattle
Three men were injured on Saturday after a group of people, including some ‘animal right activists’, beat them up in south Delhi’s Kalkaji for transporting buffaloes in a cruel manner.
The injured were admitted to AIIMS Trauma Centre from where they were discharged after medical attention on Sunday.
“The allegation is that the buffaloes were being transported in a cruel and inhuman manner,” deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Romil Baaniya said on Sunday.
Two FIRs were registered. One against the three men for cruelty towards animals and the other against unknown persons for the assault against them. “The three men were arrested and later released on bail. The suspects in the second case have been asked to join the probe,” said Baaniya adding 14 buffaloes were rescued and the vehicle seized. The animals were being taken to Ghazipur for slaughter.
The second FIR, police said, was filed on the complaint of the three men. They alleged that those who assaulted them were activists of the people for animals (PFA), an NGO founded and chaired by Union minister Maneka Gandhi.
“The three alleged that the cars in which the attackers were travelling had stickers of PFA. We have got some videos in which the suspects and their vehicles are seen,” added Baaniya. He identified the injured as Rizwan and Kamil, both residents of Pataudi in Haryana, and Ashu from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh.
At around 11.45pm on Saturday the police control room received a call from one Gaurav Gupta, an animal activist and an office-bearer of People for Animals.
A patrol van immediately reached Kalkaji and found a tempo loaded with buffaloes parked on the roadside, the DCP said. Five to six activists had stopped the vehicle and beaten up its three occupants.
Gupta denied the assault charge and claimed that the men were beaten up by passersby who were livid.
PFA, later, denied any association with the incident.
“We have no PFA units in Delhi. We have 10,000 volunteers across the country. Whoever acted, did so in his individual capacity,” Union minister Maneka Gandhi’s office said.