http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Juhapura-rioting-Four-arrested/articleshow/10549295.cms
AHMEDABAD: The city police arrested four persons in connection with attack on police team over illegal slaughtering in Juhapura and rioting on Saturday night. Search for other assailants is on in the nearby areas. The investigators said they found four more calves from an open plot on Sunday, during the search operation.
On Saturday night, the city police control room got a message about an illegal slaughter house operating near Sanklitnagar. The message was relayed to the Vejalpur police station from where a team of ten personnel reached on the spot and found 14 calves in captivity. The police team freed the calves and loaded them in a vehicle and was leaving the spot when a group of local residents stopped the vehicle and started pelting stones.
A back-up party was called upon when the officials realized that the situation had gone out of hands. The irate mob torched a vehicle and continued the attack on policemen. Five police personnel were injured in the incident and two of them severely. All the five personnel were rushed to the VS Hospital. A team of city crime branch and senior city police officials rushed to the spot and started combing operation.
"During the operation, we got the name of the main accused in the case, Iqbal Shaikh. Search for him is on. Meanwhile, we arrested Abdul Pirubhai, Yunus Pirubhai, Ibrahim Shaikh and Mohammed Sharif Shaikh. We have charged them with assault on government official and rioting. Search for other accused is on. The area around Sanklitnagar was combed on Sunday with five teams," said J H Jalu, inspector of Vejalpur police station.
P C Joshi, assistant commissioner of police, A Division, told TOI that the incident has been taken seriously by the city police. "On an average, we report two to three illegal slaughter cases in Vejalpur police station. Our personnel were doing their duty when they were assaulted. We have asked the local residents to cooperate with us on the matter," he said. He added that the assailants will be identified soon.
Joshi added that the search teams have found four calves during search operations. "A team found four calves in captivity near Royal Akbar Tower on Sunday. We believe they might have been stolen by the same group that runs the busted illegal slaughterhouse," he said.
Public keeping vigil on violators
The animal rights activists and Gauvansh Pratipalak Sangh members say that more often than not, it is members of public who keep a vigil on suspicious people and prevent slaughter of cows and calves in the city. "As festivity is near, the number of animals brought to the city for slaughter has risen. We collect information and also keep an eye on suspicious vehicles. Many areas in the city run illegal slaughterhouses that are difficult to detect. Most of the time, it is on the outskirts of the city near highway as it provides easy escape at the time of raids," said a volunteer. Activists were recently beaten up in Dariapur when they tried to stop a vehicle carrying calves.
Stringent law does not deter poachers
The Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill 2011 was passed a week ago after the state governor cleared the bill. The law covers people transporting cows for the illegal act, with a maximum punishment of seven years in jail and a fine of up to Rs 50,000. The vehicles used to transport the cows will also be seized. The law prohibits killing of cow, their transportation, sales and purchase of beef. Gujarat is the only state in India having such a law.
The law, however, has not deterred the animal poachers as the city police has not yet applied the law and have booked violators under sections of IPC. After passing the bill, the city witnessed seizure of a total of 30 cows and calves from various areas of the city, said police officials.
AHMEDABAD: The city police arrested four persons in connection with attack on police team over illegal slaughtering in Juhapura and rioting on Saturday night. Search for other assailants is on in the nearby areas. The investigators said they found four more calves from an open plot on Sunday, during the search operation.
On Saturday night, the city police control room got a message about an illegal slaughter house operating near Sanklitnagar. The message was relayed to the Vejalpur police station from where a team of ten personnel reached on the spot and found 14 calves in captivity. The police team freed the calves and loaded them in a vehicle and was leaving the spot when a group of local residents stopped the vehicle and started pelting stones.
A back-up party was called upon when the officials realized that the situation had gone out of hands. The irate mob torched a vehicle and continued the attack on policemen. Five police personnel were injured in the incident and two of them severely. All the five personnel were rushed to the VS Hospital. A team of city crime branch and senior city police officials rushed to the spot and started combing operation.
"During the operation, we got the name of the main accused in the case, Iqbal Shaikh. Search for him is on. Meanwhile, we arrested Abdul Pirubhai, Yunus Pirubhai, Ibrahim Shaikh and Mohammed Sharif Shaikh. We have charged them with assault on government official and rioting. Search for other accused is on. The area around Sanklitnagar was combed on Sunday with five teams," said J H Jalu, inspector of Vejalpur police station.
P C Joshi, assistant commissioner of police, A Division, told TOI that the incident has been taken seriously by the city police. "On an average, we report two to three illegal slaughter cases in Vejalpur police station. Our personnel were doing their duty when they were assaulted. We have asked the local residents to cooperate with us on the matter," he said. He added that the assailants will be identified soon.
Joshi added that the search teams have found four calves during search operations. "A team found four calves in captivity near Royal Akbar Tower on Sunday. We believe they might have been stolen by the same group that runs the busted illegal slaughterhouse," he said.
Public keeping vigil on violators
The animal rights activists and Gauvansh Pratipalak Sangh members say that more often than not, it is members of public who keep a vigil on suspicious people and prevent slaughter of cows and calves in the city. "As festivity is near, the number of animals brought to the city for slaughter has risen. We collect information and also keep an eye on suspicious vehicles. Many areas in the city run illegal slaughterhouses that are difficult to detect. Most of the time, it is on the outskirts of the city near highway as it provides easy escape at the time of raids," said a volunteer. Activists were recently beaten up in Dariapur when they tried to stop a vehicle carrying calves.
Stringent law does not deter poachers
The Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill 2011 was passed a week ago after the state governor cleared the bill. The law covers people transporting cows for the illegal act, with a maximum punishment of seven years in jail and a fine of up to Rs 50,000. The vehicles used to transport the cows will also be seized. The law prohibits killing of cow, their transportation, sales and purchase of beef. Gujarat is the only state in India having such a law.
The law, however, has not deterred the animal poachers as the city police has not yet applied the law and have booked violators under sections of IPC. After passing the bill, the city witnessed seizure of a total of 30 cows and calves from various areas of the city, said police officials.
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