The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
PFA man, who led assault, held
There will be three amphitheatres within the 15-acre green space The viewing balcony of the 31.5m tall building will have a 360 degree view of the area The 1,100m-long tunnel will come up at a cost of nearly Rs 800 crore N HALLS
The 10m-high floors of the seven halls will allow for auto and defence expos DELHI POLICE have arrested a 33year-old member of the animal welfare NGO, People for Animals (PFA), who, along with his associates, had allegedly assaulted three men who were transporting buffaloes from Haryana’s Pataudi to Ghazipur in east Delhi Saturday night. Two hours after his arrest, the accused, Gaurav Gupta, was released on bail from Kalkaji police station.
DCP (southeast) Romil Baaniya said they have recorded Gupta’s statement, wherein he has disclosed names of his other associates. “He told us that following a tip-off about the illegal cattle transport, he and other PFA members started chasing the truck from Basant village. They intercepted the truck near Kalkaji temple,” he said.
“Gupta claimed that PFA members had not assaulted the three men and that they were beaten up by bystanders,” Baaniya said.
Gupta had earlier told The Indian Express that the truck was chased by his colleague. “We reached 20 minutes after the truck was intercepted. By then, the three had been beaten up by some people who claimed to be from a ‘gau-raksha’ group.”
Police said Gupta has submitted two ID cards — one from the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and PFA. While the PFA ID card has the address of Union minister Maneka Gandhi, the AWBI card mentions his designation as ‘Honorary Animal Welfare Officer’. Police said the authenticity and validity of both cards is being verified.
Police said four FIRS have been registered this year based on complaints received from the PFA. Of these, three were registered by Gupta at Sarojini Nagar, Safdarjung Enclave and Kalkaji police stations — the last one over Saturday’s incident.
“In all the FIRS, Gupta has mentioned his address as 14, Ashoka Road, New Delhi,” police said. 14, Ashoka Road is the official address of Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, who is also the PFA head.
On Sunday, a case under IPC sections 323 (causing hurt) and 341 (wrongful restraint) was registered against unknown persons on the basis of a complaint filed by the driver of the truck.
Police had earlier arrested one Shashank Sharma in the case. Sharma had also claimed to be a member of the PFA. However, PFA trustee Gauri Maulekhi said that they don’t know him.
Maulekhi had issued two letters to Gaurav Gupta and his brother on February 6, 2016, which read: “You are not authorised to... seize any animal/goods from any individual.” It warned that “any acts committed by you in contravention of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act... will be deemed to have been done in your personal capacity...”